Gunners Park and Shoebury Ranges

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

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

{{infobox park

| name = Gunners Park and Shoebury Ranges

| photo = Gunners Park 11.jpg

| photo_caption =Gunners Park lake

| type = Nature reserve

| grid_ref_UK = TQ932841

| location = Shoeburyness, Essex

| area = 25 hectares

| manager = Essex Wildlife Trust

}}

Gunners Park and Shoebury Ranges is a 25 hectare nature reserve in Shoeburyness in Essex. It is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust (EWT).{{cite web|url= http://www.essexwt.org.uk/reserves/gunners-park-shoebury-ranges|title= Gunners Park and Shoebury Ranges |publisher=Essex Wildlife Trust|accessdate= 30 August 2016}} Part of Gunners Park is Shoeburyness Old Ranges Local Nature Reserve{{cite web|url= http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=0&N=&ID=1673|title= Shoeburyness Old Ranges|series= Local Nature Reserves|publisher= Natural England|date= 16 March 2016|accessdate= 22 May 2016|archive-date= 25 June 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160625061939/http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=0&N=&ID=1673|url-status= dead}} (called Shoebury Ranges by the EWT), which is itself part of the Foulness Site of Special Scientific Interest.{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteUnitList.aspx?SiteCode=S1002984&SiteName=foulness&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=|title=Unit List, Foulness SSSI|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate= 30 August 2016}} At the eastern end of Gunners Park is the Danish Camp, a Scheduled Monument.{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1017206|title=Defended prehistoric settlement at Shoeburyness, known as the Danish Camp|publisher=Historice England|accessdate=30 August 2016}}

Shoeburyness Old Ranges has flora unique in the county, on a habitat of unimproved grassland over ancient sand dunes. There are areas of grasses and sedges, while rushes are found in damp hollows. Rabbits graze the grassland, and close cropped areas have many lichens.{{cite web|url= http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002984.pdf|title= Foulness citation|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher= Natural England|accessdate= 30 August 2016|archive-date= 3 March 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303094410/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002984.pdf|url-status= dead}}{{efn|The description of Shoeburyness Old Ranges is from the Foulness SSSI citation, where it is called Gunners Park. The rest of Gunners Park is not a Local Nature Reserve or Site of Special Scientific Interest.}}

Gunners Park, which is named from its former military use, has over twelve habitats, including coastal grassland and ancient sand dunes. Rare insects include sandwich click beetles and cuckoo wasps, while there are unusual plants such as bulbous meadow-grass. There is a wide range of migrating birds. Danish Camp is an Iron Age fortified settlement which got its name because it was wrongly believed to have been built by the Danish Viking leader Haesten.

There is access from Ness Road, Mess Road, Magazine Road and Warrior Square Road. Shoeburyness Old Ranges is closed to the public. Parts of the site were formerly part of MoD Shoeburyness.