Parliament Piece

image by James Turner

Parliament Piece by Sue Steward

Managed by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, this beautiful Local Nature Reserve is on the northern edge of Kenilworth, off Upper Spring Lane.
Parliament Piece offers a range of habitats with attractive open grassland, impressively tall trees, old hedgerows and a pond across six hectares. The grassland is managed as a hay meadow and is full of coarse grasses, thistles and docks, which is great habitat for skipper and meadow brown butterflies. Sometimes hundreds of meadow brown butterflies can offer an impressive sight, flitting over the grass.

You might also spot – or hear – the great spotted woodpecker amongst the magnificent Turkey oaks, beech, field maple and Scots pine. The pond’s shady waters are edged with ash and willow and provide a home to common frog and smooth newt which both spawn here in spring.

Parking is available at the site entrance off Upper Spring Lane. There are no formal paths around the reserve but the area is relatively flat. As cattle graze during the autumn, dogs should be kept on leads.