Activities and Information About Jacksons' Brickworks Local Nature Reserve

• Main Jacksons' Brickworks Local Nature Reserve page

Jacksons’ Brickworks in Higher Poynton is a special place, reclaimed by nature after its industrial interlude. It is now so valuable for wildlife that it has been designated a Local Nature Reserve (LNR). The 9½ hectare site is managed as a mosaic of different habitats:

• Wetland
• Grassland
• Woodland and scrub

It is especially important for the great crested newt, a species protected under European law.

A surfaced path, with graded slopes, offers easy access through the site and connects with the Middlewood Way.

Wildlife highlights at Jacksons' Brickworks

Jacksons' Brickworks boasts unimproved grassland, many ponds, a lake with growing reed bed, great crested newt, more than 400 species of moths and a large number of butterflies. It is also a locally important site for several migrating bird species.

Management undertaken at Jacksons' Brickworks

Management have carried out scrub management on the grassland, meadow, pond and woodland. Three compartments have been grazed by sheep to aid grassland improvement.

Latest Jacksons' Brickworks news

Summer is now with us, so it’s time to reflect on the recent spring.

The cuckoo flowers have showed well and on sunny days orange tip butterflies were seen in good numbers. Females use the cuckoo flower as their food plant. Broad-bodied and four-spotted chasers were seen patrolling the ponds on the reserve. Bird song was good and at present we have a pair of breeding reed bunting, at least 4 pairs of willow warbler, chiffchaff and blackcap.

Other bird species recorded recently include a pair of buzzards, tawny owls and a kingfisher.

Summer butterflies are just appearing with the meadow brown appearing on 5 June. Other butterflies to look out for from now are large and small skipper, gatekeeper, small copper and if you are lucky purple hairstreak on oak trees and the white-letter hairstreak on elm trees.

This year the grazing sheep will return in all the compartments in the autumn. The grazing will increase the biodiversity and improve the grassland and flora. Grazing is an excellent management tool which is widely used to control the encroaching scrub. This management will extend the grassland and improve the wetland habitats that are breeding grounds for the great crested newt.

In the spring a newt survey was carried out with the help of a dedicated team of experienced volunteers to determine the population of great crested newts. We have all three species of newt that breed on the reserve, the smooth, palmate and the great crested newt; the latter is protected by European law.

The survey produced good numbers of great crested newts; these were mostly males with their distinctive crest and white stripe alongside its tail.

Other wildlife to look for throughout the summer are common, azure and blue-tailed damselflies, southern and brown hawker, and emperor dragonflies.

Upcoming events

A public event about the wildlife of the reserve will be taking place at Jacksons’ Brickworks on Wednesday 9 July at 10.00am to 12.00pm. Find out more by visiting the Wildflowers and butterflies of Jacksons' Brickworks event page.

For further information on events and activities in the area, visit the Ranger event pages.

If you have any wildlife sightings while visiting Jacksons' Brickworks, feel free to share them by emailing Peter Dowse (Countryside Ranger).