In Roman times, Gazen Salts Nature Reserve was the bottom of the Wantsum Channel, the channel of water which divided Kent from the Isle of Thanet. John Gason was once a leaseholder here, and ‘Gazen’ is a corruption of his name. We discovered the nature reserve while we ere walking around the walls of Sandwich.
A brief history
In the 1970s the Sandwich Town Council decided to create a nature reserve in the town. The land selected was two grazed fields and old allotments. Later they added a disused builders yard and reed beds along the River Stour which bordered the reserve, Dennis Harle, a local naturalist and wildlife artist, was asked to design the reserve, and in December 1973 the ponds, lake and additional waterways were dug out. The aim was to create as many wildlife habitats as feasible on the 15-acres site.
The reserve came under threat from building and roads until money was raised to create a charity to manage the site.
Woodlands
Water
Most of the water is brackish, but the aim is to control the salt content as much as possible by using the sluice gates which connect the waterways to the river.
Plants
The sedge flowers were dripping with pollen, and I was fascinated to find a pink bluebell!
Gallows Field
This lovely field, next to the nature reserve, has a grim history. This is where people were hanged, or drowned in the stream alongside the meadow.
Gazen Salts Nature Reserve, on the outskirts of Sandwich, is a delightful walk, and beautifully and carefully managed.
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