Great Wood and Dodd's Grove

{{Short description|Nature reserve in Essex, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox SSSI

|image=Valley track - Hadleigh Great Wood - geograph.org.uk - 291131.jpg

|image_caption=

|name= Great Wood and Dodd's Grove

|aos= Essex

|interest= Biological

|gridref={{gbmappingsmall|TQ819877}}

|area= 36.8 hectares

|notifydate=1985

|map=[http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271001885%27 Magic Map]

}}

Great Wood and Dodd's Grove is a {{convert|36.8|hectare|acre|adj=on}} biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex.{{cite web|url= http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001885.pdf|title= Great Wood and Dodd's Grove citation|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher= Natural England|access-date= 18 March 2016|archive-date= 3 March 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225736/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001885.pdf|url-status= dead}}{{cite web|url= http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271001885%27|title=Map of Great Wood and Dodd's Grove|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|access-date= 18 March 2016}} It is also a Local Nature Reserve called Belfairs.{{cite web|url=http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=15&N=&ID=31|title=Belfairs|series=Local Nature Reserves|publisher=Natural England|date=20 January 2016|access-date=18 March 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072840/http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=15&N=&ID=31|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url= http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=lnrIndex&query=REF_CODE%3D%271083189%27|title=Map of Belfairs|series=Local Nature Reserves|publisher=Natural England| access-date= 18 March 2016}} Essex Wildlife Trust runs the Belfairs Woodland Centre and manages the site together with Southend-on-Sea City Council.{{cite web|url= http://www.essexwt.org.uk/reserves/belfairs |title= Belfairs Woodland Centre |publisher=Essex Wildlife Trust|access-date= 12 June 2016}}

This is a small remnant of the ancient Hadleigh Great Wood. It is coppiced oak woodland on sands, gravels and clay, and one of the largest areas of old woodland in the south of the county. Bramble and honeysuckle are the main ground plants. Other plants include the rare broad-leaved helleborine. Hadleigh Woods comprise several contiguous woods: Belfairs Wood (32.3 ha); Coxall Wood (0.79 ha); Dodd's Grove (4.02 ha); and Hadleigh Great Wood (33.3 ha).{{Cite book |last=Rackham |first=Oliver |title=The Woods of South East Essex |publisher=Rochford District Council |year=1986 |isbn=0951186302}}

The site has toilets, a café and trails.

There is access from Poors Lane, which runs through the site and separates Hadleigh Great Wood from Dodd's Grove.