Rough Wood Chase

Nature reserve

What is recorded here

Rough Wood at Willenhall is a surviving piece of a much larger royal hunting wood recorded in the twelfth century. Coal digging left sunken ground beneath its oaks, while later clay extraction threatened the woodland itself. Transfer to the local council in the 1950s protected the trees and created two connected…

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How it formed

Rough Wood dates back to the 12th Century and was once a vast royal hunting wood, stretching over a large area including most of Walsall and Cannock Chase. It was later privately owned until the 1950s when it was protected from clay extraction.

People and events

First mentioned in the 12th Century, Rough Wood has a rich history. It was given to Willenhall Urban District Council in the 1950s to prevent clay extraction, and a preservation order was placed on all trees.

Local stories

The woodland resides on top of the Bentley Seam of coal, which is evident by large sections having undulating surfaces caused by the sinking of bell pits. The site is encircled by the Woodlands housing estate, the M6 motorway, and the Wyrley and Essington canal.

What can be seen

Rough Wood is a small woodland area with a mix of tree varieties, largely oak trees. It covers two local nature reserves: Rough Wood and Rough Wood Chase.

Why it mattered

Most of the royal hunting wood that once spread towards Walsall and Cannock Chase has gone. Rough Wood matters because this remnant still carries old oak woodland above ground and the hollows of earlier coal pits below it. The 1950s gift and tree protection order stopped proposed clay working from removing another layer of local landscape.