Marlhill Copse

02/06/2025

A walk through an ancient small wood and along the river where birds, bats, insects are celebrated.

08/02/2025

This rusty fence harks back to the carriage drive to Townhill Park House. Can you find it?

25/11/2024

When local campaigners have been criticised for using sellotape, this source of environmental microplastics is rather vexing

19/11/2024

Researchers at University of Southampton have predicted tranquillity across the city using the amount of man-made noise (which spoils tranquillity) and the amount of natural features in view (which adds to it).

Sadly, Marlhill Copse is not predicted to be very tranquil.

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2024/10/most-tranquil-areas-of-southampton-mapped-to-create-more-peaceful-journeys-with-clean-air-routes-website.page

23/12/2023

23/09/2022

How much effort would it have taken to lug all this liquid cement into Marlhill Copse to pour it into a badger sett entrance? Why would anyone do this? If you hate wildlife this much, just move away!

23/09/2022

The Southampton Airport still wants to fell the trees on the North of the Carriage Crive in Marlhill Copse (the trees on the right of the path in this photo). Last year they lodged an appeal over the decision of Southampton City Council to refuse the felling of trees at Marlhill Copse (application 20/00340/TPO).

The public hearing for a Planning Inspector has been scheduled. Will you attend?

The hearing will commence on the 2nd of November 2022 at 10am, is expected to run for two days and and will be held at Hilton Hotel, The Ageas Bowl Stadium, SO30 3XH

Please confirm your attendance for either or both days as spaces may be limited. You can do this by post or via email by contacting the tree team at [email protected]. Please quote reference 21/00001/TPO in your correspondence.

13/04/2022

The acers are now in their full glory, along with the rhododendron. camelia and skunk cabbage!

14/03/2022

Marlhill Copse in bloom!

The giant magnolia is a riot of white way up in the canopy and camelia and rhododendron are blossoming pinks and purples lower down...

08/01/2022

Work will start next week on Marlhill Copse on woodland thinning, tree planting, the installation of footbridges and maintenance (see attached notice).

This will be in the compartments to the North (downhill) of the carriage drive and so should not affect access except on occasions when machinery needs moving. The thinning amounts to the "removal of 20% of the poorer stems of mixed broadleaved trees (primarily Sycamore".

The Southern compartment, which is the subject of the current appeal (see https://www.facebook.com/Marlhill.Chat/posts/5052197611491499) should not be affected.

Do feel free to share updates of the works as you see them develop.

30/12/2021

Here's a beautiful film about trees to enjoy at the close of the year. Thank you to Liz for flagging it

Patagonia Films presents Treeline: A Story Written in Rings, available in full for the first time. Follow a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists and hea...

16/12/2021

A few lights still twinkling at dawn in compartment 1(a)(i) and a blackbird sounds the alarm at my presence in his habitat.

The badgers have tucked down after a night foraging and the bats have returned to their roosts but this woodland is alive even during this most dormant month.

These trees are storing as much carbon as is emitted in a year of flights from Southampton to Amsterdam. Once released, this carbon will add to the heating that is melting Thwaites Glacier and warming the Arctic to Mediterranean temperatures. Our carbon budgets are almost spent meaning that we are on course for even more catastrophic weather events, crop failures and loss of land.

Who is sounding the alarm about the dangers we face?