Help restore lost wildlife habitat and connectivity in the Upper Rother

This map compares the 1870s Ordnance Survey with modern satellite imagery to highlight lost hedges, woodlands, orchards, and ponds. The map also shows how you could help restore these using grants from the government or other local funds.

How to use this map

• Search for your postcode using the button
• Click the coloured areas to discover the benefits of habitat restoration and the funding available.
• Adjust the map view using the brightness slider (below) or the layers button ( top-right).

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Additional information

Shortcuts to topics

• About the map and what it shows
• The High Weald National Landscape
• Ways to get involved
• Local green groups
• Subscribe to newsletter
• Contact us

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About the map and what it shows

This map uses the first edition Ordnance Survey (OS), published in the 1870s, as a reference to understand landscape change in our area. This snapshot in time shows us how the landscape was laid out before significant mechanisation of agriculture. The 1870s OS map was the first to record local detail across the whole region, and is remarkably consistent with more localised maps from as early as 1640. Many historians believe that this basic pattern of woodland, hedges and fields stretches back to the end of the Anglo-Saxon period when the High Weald became increasingly was settled by farmers.

The 1870s map is therefore broadly representative of a landscape pattern that existed in the High Weald, possibly for 1,000 years. This complex mosaic of small fields, hedges, and unusually high woodland cover was excellent habitat in which wildlife could thrive. During this period, all farming would have been organic, so we can only imagine the biological richness in which our predecessors lived.

The High Weald is remarkably well preserved even today, but the 20th century brought significant pressure to industrialise agriculture, especially in the post-World War II period. Encouraged by government subsidies and consumer demand, hedges were grubbed out, ancient woods cleared, heaths covered with timber plantations, and ponds filled in. The result is a simplified, less connected landscape that supports a lower diversity and abundance of wildlife.

In the Upper Rother catchment, we estimate that we have lost the following since the 1870s*:

• 110 miles of hedges
• 620 acres of ancient woodland
• 113 acres of traditional orchards
• 200 ponds

Through this map and the many wonderful resources compiled by the High Weald National Landscape team, we can draw inspiration from the cultural history of our region to restore biodiversity and carbon sequestration.

This map was built for the benefit of the local community by the team at Wadhurst Park.

Attributions and disclaimers:

• First edition 1870s OS map – National Library of Scotland
• Background satellite imagery - MapTiler
• Lost habitats* – Wadhurst Park
• Open source mapping platform - Leaflet.js

*The lost habitats have been highlighted according to our best interpretation of the symbology used on the 1870 OS map. It is not perfect, and we may have made mistakes in places. Lost boundaries are particularly tricky since there is no distinction in the symbology between living hedges, dead hedges, or pale fences. However, we think it is reasonable to assume that most of these boundaries included a living hedge of some kind.

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The High Weald National Landscape

For over a thousand years, people have shaped the natural beauty of the High Weald. It is a medieval landscape of wooded, rolling hills; studded with sandstone outcrops and a rich patchwork of small fields, scattered farmsteads and ancient routeways.

Situated in the heart of rural South East England, the High Weald National Landscape covers 1,461 square kilometres across the counties of Kent, Sussex and Surrey. It is the fourth-largest National Landscape in England and Wales, and without doubt one of the most beautiful.

The High Weald is a very special place. And it’s all yours to discover. Click here to visit the High Weald National Landscape website.

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How to get involved

You don't have to own land to get involved in efforts to restore lost habitats in the Upper Rother. Here are some ideas for how you can help out.

• Show this map to someone you know who owns or manages land which has lost habitats
• Volunteer with your local green group to help with hedge planting or other restoration work
• Offer help to write funding applications to support restoration work
• Share this resource on social media or through you local network

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Local environmental groups working in this area

The following civil society groups are doing great work to support wildlife in the Upper Rother catchment:

• Wild Wadhurst
• Mayfield Climate Action
• Wild About Burwash
• Wild About Ticehurst

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Subscribe to newsletter

This map was created by the team at Wadhurst Park. If you would like to receive an occasional newsletter about habitat restoration in the Upper Rother catchment, please enter your email address below.

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Contact us

We'd love to hear from you if you've been inspired to restore a lost habitat and are looking for some help. Or perhaps you've already restored something and would like us to highlight your work on the map. Drop us a line using the link below.

Submit an enquiry

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