Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows, Houghton Conquest

{{Short description|Protected area in Bedfordshire, England}}

{{Infobox SSSI

|image=Round Close - geograph.org.uk - 549512.jpg

|name=Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows, Houghton Conquest

|aos=Bedfordshire

|interest=Biological

|gridref={{gbmappingsmall|TL045403}}

|area=36.1 hectares

|notifydate=1984

|map=[http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271000638%27 Magic Map]

}}

Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows is a {{convert|36.1|hectare|acre|adj=on}} Site of Special Scientific Interest in Houghton Conquest in Bedfordshire. A local teenage boy, Peter Sollars, discovered many rich communities of plants there, including a number of rare species, e.g. Butcher's Broom, [https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/small-teasel Small Teasel] and Green Hellebore in the wood, and combinations of Lady's Bedstraw, Spiny Restharrow, Great Burnet, Adders Tongue Fern and Cowslips in the meadows. The County Botanist at the time, John Dony, was notified of his findings, which were confirmed by a site visit with Peter . The site was notified in 1984 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the planning authority is Central Bedfordshire.{{cite web|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1000638.pdf |title=Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows, Houghton Conquest citation |series=Sites of Special Scientific Interest |publisher=Natural England |accessdate=23 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924120403/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1000638.pdf |archivedate=24 September 2015 }}{{cite web|url= http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271000638%27|title=Map of Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows, Houghton Conquest|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate= 23 August 2015}} It is also a Local Nature Reserve.{{cite web|url=http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=0&N=&ID=246 |title=Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows, Houghton Conquest |series=Local Nature Reserves |publisher=Natural England |date=18 February 2013 |accessdate=23 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072321/http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=0&N=&ID=246 |archivedate= 4 March 2016 }}{{cite web|url= http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=lnrIndex&query=REF_CODE%3D%271008983%27|title=Map of Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows, Houghton Conquest|series=Local Nature Reserves|publisher=Natural England| accessdate= 23 August 2015}}

This site has ash and maple woodland on heavy clay, a habitat which has become rare in lowland England. It is biologically diverse, with a number of rare species. Several plants are indicative of ancient woodland, such as wood melick and wood anemone. Glebe Meadows has a rich variety of species due to its traditional management, and there are also some small ponds and mature hedgerows.

There is access by a footpath from Rectory Lane.