Coombe Abbey Park Management Plan 2024 - 2028

5.1 Overview

Name of Site Coombe Abbey Park Address Brinklow Road, Binley, Coventry, CV3 2AB
Ownership Coventry City Council
Management Coventry City Council
Site Area 150 hectares
Map Reference Latitude 52.410, Longitude -1.417 Ward Earl Craven and Woolston

Local Hierarchy Country Park

Coombe Abbey Park occupies a gently rolling landscape bisected east to west by the valley of Smite Brook. The Smite enters the site in the northeast corner. Via a network of channels and pools it reaches a lake created by the damming of the Smite, and Southern tributary, above its confluence with the River Sowe at the western end of the site. The lake effectively divides the country park into two elevated areas each reaching less than 10m above the water level of the lake; to the north the broad flat-topped hill of the Wrautum and to the south a broad flat-topped ridge running parallel to the valley. The lake, dam and associated woodland effectively disguise the site’s overall fall from east to west.

The elevated areas are created by the deposition of Pleistocene sands, gravels and boulder clay over the underlying Mercia Mudstone (Keuper Marl). The sands have given rise to light soils, acidic and well-drained, most apparent in the areas to the north of the Wrautum. At lower elevations, the soils are less acidic, well-drained and contain a high proportion of humus. In low-lying area north of the lake waterlogged conditions occur at times due to the alluvial clay soils present around the original course of the Smite Brook, soils that are nearly neutral.

Various pits north and south of the lake indicate past excavation of sand, gravel and clay.

5.2 Site of Special Scientific Interest

The importance of Coombe Pool and a large part of the woodland that envelops it is illustrated by its designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Its total area is 51.3 hectares (126.8 acres); Coombe Pool is very important in Warwickshire for its herons, other breeding waterfowl and wintering wildfowl. The woodland is also important supporting a wide range of breeding birds and providing winter roost for several species. The SSSI was first notified in 1972 under Section 23 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act (1949) and was then renotified in 1986 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).

The citation for the SSSI is included in appendix 4. As an SSSI, all management operations undertaken within its boundaries must have prior approval from Natural England. A copy of the current agreement is included in appendix 5. Non-statutory designations at a county level much of the area under consideration is designated by Warwickshire County Council as Warwickshire Biological Record Centre (WBRC) Ecosite 7137 which includes within it the SSSI: the ecological value of the Ecosite is not consistent across the designated area. Warwickshire Wildlife Trust has also designated the site as County Wildlife Site 1725. It is also one of Warwickshire Counties – Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation Ref SP37Z2.

5.3 Habitat

The varied soils and land use have given rise to a rich variety of habitats. These include woodland, scrub, grassland and water. Coombe Pool, its reed beds and associated historic woodland have been designated as a SSSI by Natural England.

5.3.1 Woodland

The woodlands are all secondary habitat and managed under the Forestry Commission woodland grant scheme. They comprise predominantly mixed broadleaf woodland with some early 20th century coniferous plantations on the edge of the Wrautum.

The acidic sandy soils, occurring largely north and east of the Wrautum and along the northern edge of the SSSI, support Oak, Sycamore and Birch often found in single species stands, with some Ash and conifers. There is a small remnant of oak and hazel coppice near the north boundary. The understory and ground flora are generally poorly developed due to the heavy shading of the Sycamore and to rabbit activity. There are areas of bracken associated with stands of birch, rhododendron and bramble. Natural regeneration is taking place where trees have been felled and there are some stands of young broadleaf planting. Within the woodland east of the Wrautum there are some ancient oak and sweet chestnut trees.

The well drained acidic soils with humus occur predominantly in the area now designated as a SSSI woodland planted by Capability Brown.

Species are Oak with Hornbeam and Hawthorn, Ash, Sycamore, Birch and a considerable number of Lime with some Horse Chestnut Sweet and a few Beech and Norway Maple. The shrub layers are more varied but includes areas dominated by rhododendron, bramble or ivy. The herb layer is diverse in more open areas and north of the lake there are areas of ferns and bluebells.

There is a wet woodland around the duck decoy and south of the Wrautum where Alder, Poplar and Willow species thrive together with Ash, Oak, Sycamore and Birch in the drier locations.

The shrub layer is limited, elder and bramble predominating, though there are species such as Box around the duck decoy.

The ground flora in shady areas is often dominated by nettle and in lighter areas by Himalayan Balsam, but also includes a rich variety of marsh flora – Yellow Flag Iris, Pendulous Sage, Great Willowherb, March Thistle and Figwort. The decoy woodland contains a more diverse flora.

In the north west of the deer park there are several small plantations planted in the late 19th century. Species include Horse Chestnut, occasional Scots Pine, Sycamore, Pedunculate Oak, Hornbeam and Norway Maple. The plantations have no understory, and the ground flora consists of rank grassland dominated by nettles.

The country park includes several ancient/ veteran trees, some planted by Capability Brown and some preceding his work. These are found largely in the deer park but also include the previously mentioned Oak and Sweet Chestnut east of the Wrautums. Tree groups within the deer park are predominantly Oak, some stag headed and some former pollards, providing valuable roost sites for owls and bats and vantage points for Kestrel and Sparrowhawk. The old trees also provide valuable standing and falling deadwood habitat.

5.3.2 Scrub

There are some areas along the southern edge of Coombe Pool, associated with the former quarries and clay pits of the deer park and within one of the woodland compartments south of the Wrautum. Beside the lake are a variety of Willow species providing cover for waterfowl. Scrub adjacent to the fishing pegs on the dam is maintained by coppicing. Elsewhere species commonly include Bramble, Field Rose and Dog Rose with Hawthorn associated with areas of excavation.

5.3.3 Grassland

A grassland survey conducted in 1998 identified 7 grassland types in the Country Park of which the most diverse and species-rich occur around the northern fringe of the deer park and part of the southern deer park between the menagerie and West Lodge.

Considerable work has been undertaken in the last ten years to move away from a municipal style of grassland management on-site and return to more traditional and ecologically sympathetic management practices. The key areas of work have been restoring parkland pasture and various other grassland communities within the Deer park; and acid grassland in area 11. This work has had a significant positive impact on the biodiversity of these areas of the park whilst still maintaining recreational interest and reducing maintenance bills.

5.3.4 Standing Ground

Part of area 14 is an integral part of the herons breeding life cycle. This area is known as the heronry standing ground, it has been fenced off and protected from public disturbance as part of the ongoing management of this area.

5.3.5 Water

Coombe Pool contributes to the mosaic of habitats that make the site attractive to birds and to its importance for ornithology. As the County’s second-largest water mass (totalling approximately 80 acres) the Pool supports Warwickshire’s largest heronry and the reed beds of Coombe Pool and Top Pool are an unusual and important habitat in the county. The Pool is a reservoir and as such is governed by legislation accordingly. (See appendices 4 & 5).

The SSSI has a wide diversity of waterfowl and woodland birds. (For further details see appendix 3). The pool supports a fishery with 140 pegs, 100 of which are situated on the north and west banks. Fish stock succession is a problem due to a variety of factors, not least of which are cormorants. Refuges have been installed in the lake to provide shelter for the juvenile fish.

A brief history of Coombe Abbey Park

Coombe Abbey lies in the ancient parish of Smite, now called Coombe Fields, the recorded history of which dates back to AD1066. An Abbey was founded on the site in 1150 and a Cistercian monastery developed and flourished for some 400 years. With the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Coombe passed into secular hands and the formerly religious buildings were converted into a noble residence. It fulfilled this function for a further 400 years, but in the 1920s decline set in with the departure of the Craven family who had long resided at Coombe.

The house was purchased by John Gray, a local builder, who embarked on a savage campaign of asset stripping. All removable fixtures were sold and several sections of the house were demolished. When Coventry City Council purchased Coombe in 1964 the remaining buildings were in poor condition. Efforts were made to stabilise the situation, but it was not until the joint venture project of the 1990s that the structure of the main house was once again brought into good condition.

While the buildings were evolving at Coombe so also was the landscape. Successive generations modified or added to the landscape handed on by their predecessors. Today the landscape incorporates park and garden features from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, overlaid in some parts with recent 20th century developments. Figure 2 illustrates how the boundaries of the park have changed dramatically through the centuries.

One of the foremost figures of English landscape design, Capability Brown, was to leave his imprint firmly on the Coombe landscape. Working between 1771 and 1776 for Lord Craven, he converted the 17th-century park into a new style “landscape park”. It was he who dammed the Smite Brook to form the beautifully shaped Coombe Pool which elegantly and naturally stretches out west from the Abbey buildings. At the same time as he created a new parkland landscape he abandoned the old formal landscape south of the B4027.

Many of the earlier formal gardens near the Abbey were swept away in Brown’s plan but in the 19th century, Nesfield and Miller adapted part of the Park around the House to create a series of new gardens.

Together with the house, the Park and Gardens suffered degradation in the 20th century, and it is only in recent years that this process has begun to be reversed.

2009 saw the start of the restoration of Browns Deer Park, this will continue during the life of this plan.

5.5 Present day use and ownership

Compared to the days of the Cistercian monastery or the private noble residence, land use and ownership are now more complex.

Coombe Abbey is a prestigious country house hotel. The country park was purchased by Coventry City Council in the 1960s as an area for recreational use by the people of Coventry, and since then has become a major visitor attraction within the Coventry area and a very successful country park. Coombe Pool is not only a wildlife refuge with SSSI status due to a heronry of regional significance but also its waters attract substantial numbers of anglers. The expanse of land south of Coombe Pool, Brown’s former Western Deer Park, lies under improved grassland

Figure 3 overlays the boundary of the 18th century park, the key park-building period relevant to present-day Coombe. This reveals that the primary area covered by the Management Plan, i.e., the land within Coventry City Council ownership, does not include a significant stretch of 18th-century parkland east of the Great Avenue and Abbey. Since this land was important to both 18th and 19th-century layouts, consideration has been given to its relationship with the Management Plan Study Area. Today it is in private ownership and let out for agricultural use.

5.6 Restoration and Maintenance

“To conserve and repair the historic designed landscape or, where appropriate, sympathetically adapt to new uses”

This will be achieved by the following:

• Conserving and repairing surviving elements of the historic design.
• Restoring some important features of the designed landscape which have been lost.
• Where appropriate, restore lost views.
• Ensuring that any modern use being considered for the Coombe Estate is carefully and sensitively integrated within the historic framework, to give unity to the whole designed landscape.
• Encouraging visitors to understand and enjoy the design of the Estate and how it has evolved, through interpretation and education.
• Ensuring that the archaeological resource is understood and carefully conserved.
• Maintaining an effective management record system that enables future managers to understand any changes made, and restoration undertaken.

5.7 Significant features and compartments

The site has been divided into 14 management compartments based on landscape character and vegetation. Each compartment is described, recent management work outlined where relevant, management objectives indicated and management proposals made in Appendix 3.

• Area 1: Main Entrance and Great Avenue Car Park
• Area 2: Car Park and Picnic
• Area 3: Visitor Centre, Quadrant and Events Field
• Area 4: The Nesfield / Miller Gardens and Arboretum
• Area 5: Top Pool
• Area 6: The Decoy Spinney
• Area 7: Northern Woodland
• Area 8: Heath Woodland
• Area 9: Woodland south of Wrautum
• Area 10: Woodland east of Wrautum
• Area 11: The Wrautum Hill
• Area 12: Coombe Pool including lake bank south of Wrautum 
• Area 13: SSSI woodland
• Area 14: The Deer Park

The work delivers a balance between restoration and renewal, combining facilities for local park users from Coventry and Rugby with those for visitors from further afield, including hotel guests and event attendees.

5.8 Education and Interpretation

Formal education programmes are now delivered on-site by Coventry City Council’s Outdoor Education Service based at Coombe Abbey Park’s Visitor Centre.

Formal Education activities were established at Coombe during the early 1980s. Since that time a regular customer base has been built up with some schools visiting every year. Although most of the schools that use the service are from the Coventry LEA Area there has been a significant increase in those from surrounding areas such as Warwickshire and Leicestershire as well as Northamptonshire and Birmingham and even London. The park employs one full time Visitor Experience Officer and a pool of casual employees whose responsibility is to develop and deliver informal educational events and activities. The majority of education programmes continue to be delivered to primary schools and are developed and designed to hit key elements of the National Curriculum and schemes of work, as well as developing key skills such as communication and listening. The most popular programmes for the primary school age are River Study, Habitat Studies, orienteering and (for the younger children) First Nature.

5.9 Who are the users?

The existing audience is drawn principally from three sources:

• Local residents living within close distance of the park
• Less local residents who visit the park from across the city, in particular during the summer months
• Those attracted by the programme and events held within the park

The park is situated close to the urban conurbation of Coventry and a 1 km radius from the park would encompass approximately 27,000 residents, 9% of Coventry’s population.

The site is located in the Earl Craven and Woolston Ward of Rugby Borough Council with a population of 5,552 but is close to the Wyken Ward of Coventry with a population of 16,818.

Within a 1-km radius of the park, there is just one primary School, Clifford Bridge, but the site hosted visits from 52 Primary Schools and 17 Secondary Schools in the academic year Sept 2016 to July 2017.

The park’s immediate catchment area is largely rural; however, parking facilities, large open spaces, and unique historical and wildlife features mean that the potential audience is considerable.

5.10 Stakeholders

The list below details of bodies and organisations, in addition to service users, that have a vested interest in the successful management of Coombe Abbey Park. Each stakeholder has different degrees and levels of interest in the Park however each is important in the management of the site.

• Historic England
• Natural England
• Environment Agency
• British Trust for Ornithology
• Warwickshire Police
• West Midlands Police
• British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
• Coombe Abbey Wood Turners Association
• Coventry Ethnic Minorities Active Partnership
• Coventry Youth Service Democracy Project
• Disabled People’s Advisory Panel
• Warwickshire Wildlife Trust
• Rugby Borough Council
• Warwickshire County Council
• Council for Learning Outside the Classroom
• Coombe Abbey Park Limited (Hotel)
• Go Ape
• No Ordinary Hospitality Management
• Coventry Outdoors

The following City Council officers also have an interest in the park:

• Cllr. Kamran Caan, Cabinet Member, Public Health and Sport & Coombe Abbey Park

Shareholders Panel

• Andrew Walster, Director, Streetscene & Greenspace, City Services & Development
• Emma Cosgrove, Coombe Abbey Park Manager and Visitor Experience Manager