Pear Wood

Pear Wood lies to the north of Stanmore Country Park. The post code is HA7 4LP. It is ancient woodland; there are mentions of the wood dating back to around 1250. Pear Wood lies on the fast-draining pebble gravel and claygate beds of the Harrow Weald ridge. Where the ground is open this gives rise to a heathland vegetation dominated by bracken and gorse. However, the vast majority of Pear Wood is wooded, the dominant trees being beech, oak and birch with smaller numbers of sweet chestnut, hornbeam, crab apple, wild cherry, ash, rowan and Scots pine. Many plants growing below the trees are characteristic of ancient woodland, and are therefore not found in the majority of Harrow’s woods: examples are wood millet, wood poa, creeping soft-grass, wood and remote sedges, black bryony, hairy wood-rush, tall brome, wood sage and dog’s mercury.

As the only extensive and relatively undisturbed ancient woodland in Harrow Pear Wood is managed for nature conservation purposes.



Cutting across Pear Wood is the ancient earthwork of Grim’s Dyke, which is kept clear of trees to reduce damage to the structure by tree roots. The origin and purpose of Grim’s Dyke are unclear: it may date from the Roman occupation or from the 5th or 6th century; it may be defensive but is more likely to be a boundary marker. The line of Grim’s Dyke is also clear in Old Redding Nature Reserve to the west, but the connecting section has dissapeared.



Contact details

Warden: Claire Abbott Phone: 020 8954 0439 cbga@aol.com

Assistant Warden: Rosemary Etheridge Phone: 020 8954 3517 reaetheridge@hotmail.com

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