About the reserve

The extraordinary thing about the building of Telford New Town was that the development plan incorporated a green network of hedgerows, canals, meadows, canal fringes and other open spaces that were retained, so that wildlife and people could live together. It was an achievement that won international recognition, pioneering the way forward for other new towns.

Granville is one of the largest and most wildlife diverse of these places, much valued by local people for its recreational opportunities. The spirit of renewal is tangible here. Nature has reclaimed it after centuries of industrial activity, which finally ceased when Granville, the last deep mine in the county, closed down.

Relics of former industrial activity, including furnaces and an old winding house, are now surrounded by woodland full of birds, while pit mounds of waste have been transformed into flower-rich grassland and heath.

An abundance of bird’s-foot trefoil now feeds generations of caterpillars of Telford’s speciality butterflies, the dingy skipper and green hairstreak. Orchids, ox-eye daisy, cowslips and yellow rattle, rarely seen now in agricultural fields, have miraculously appeared in what was, in the not-so-distant past, a grim and uninviting landscape.

Small though these hills may be, their tops provide good viewpoints over the surrounding countryside and town.

Today the green soul of Telford is under threat. Telford is the second fastest growing town in Britain, facing a potential 51% population growth by 2024. People need homes and houses must be built. But the green nature of Telford must not be sacrificed in the haste to meet targets. Shropshire Wildlife Trust is working hard to ensure that this dynamic, wildlife-rich landscape survives.