Portland Park Kirkby-in-Ashfield Nottinghamshire

https://buymeacoffee.com/velvatoneplaces Portland Park is situated directly to the south west of Kirkby in Ashfield around a 15 to 20 minute walk from the town centre. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Portland Park covers 15.2 hectares of informal open space, including 10 hectares of woodland in the valley of a tributary of the River Erewash together with several areas of species-rich grassland and a number of wetland areas. The site is partly bounded by used and disused railway lines that form part of a once extensive local and regional network. The meadow area to the north west of the main car park was once a limestone quarry which was infilled during the 1950s. Parts of the woodland are thought to date back to at least 1600. Some areas have been quarried for limestone and the park is known locally as ‘The Quarries’. The site is unique in Nottinghamshire, being located on a band of magnesium limestone, part of a narrow band running northwards up the west side of the county. This enables many rare plant species to grow, creating an area which is abundant with fascinating natural history and making it a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The limestone supports important 'calcareous' vegetation that is rare in Nottinghamshire and uncommon in Britain generally.