Thorswood

Thorswood is a nature reserve of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, situated in the Weaver Hills near the village of Stanton, in Staffordshire, England. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Description
Its area is 81 ha; the terrain is steep in places.

There are hay meadows on low-lying ground, where ox-eye daisy, knapweed and betony may be found with the tall grasses. On the limestone grassland of the higher ground, there are low-growing flowering plants including salad burnet, cowslip and wild thyme.

Instead of intensive farming practices, there is light grazing and traditional farming techniques, some fields being mown to make hay; the grazing and mowing prevents the grass becoming overgrown and smothering the rarer plants.

History and prehistory
There are three Bronze Age bowl barrows within the reserve; they are scheduled monuments. Lead mining, dating back to the 17th century, took place at Thorswood; the remains of this activity survive in parts of the reserve as extensive hillocks, up to 3 m high, and a number of shafts have been identified. The remains are a scheduled monument. Visitors to the reserve are advised to keep to the marked trails where indicated, in order to avoid mineshafts.