Long ago, the place we call Melton Wood was part of a vast, broad leaved forest which cloaked a limestone ridge near Doncaster. Bronze Age people began to clear the surrounding land about 3000 years ago to farm the rich, free-draining soils. They were followed by the Romans, Saxons, then generations of English settlers up to the present day.
In 1666 John Fountayne married Elisabeth Monkton, heiress to the Melton Estate which included Melton Wood. This secured the Wood's ownership by three ancient, wealthy families of Fountayne, Wilson and Montagu for over 250 years.
A map drawn by Thomas Jeffrey in 1775 shows the main rides and boundaries of the wood almost as we see them today. We also know from a timber sale in 1848, that this was a typically English mature oak woodland with ash, elm, birch, wild cherry, lime, crab, and field maple. Some trees were 150 years old, dating from the Monktons ownership of the wood.
In 1927 Fredrick Montagu sold the oak and ash timber crop. This altered the character of the woodland dramatically, severing its link with generations of tree communities natural to the site.
A local builder called Thomas Wade bought the wood in 1928 for £500 - "less per square yard than wallpaper" he told his grandson later. The Wade family held Melton Wood until 1939, keeping pigs on part of the land during the 1930's when building work was scarce.
Manvers Main Colliery Company bought the wood next. Ownership passed to the National Coal Board in 1947 when mines were nationalised.
During the Second World War inmates from H.M.Prison Wakefield and prisoners-of-war the timber for the war effort, leaving few mature trees.
Scrub clearance and replanting began in 1956 when Forestry Commission purchased a 999 year lease from the Coal Board. A combination of broad-leaved and coniferous trees was planted over the next decade, creating the attractive mixed woodland we see today.
In the late 1980's the government instructed the Forestry Commission (now Forest Enterprise) to sell 100,000 hectares of their holdings. Doncaster Council purchased the freehold of Melton Wood in August, 1992, to protect public access and to conserve the woodland. A long-term program of woodland management has now been introduced. Work will balance the needs of wildlife and people and will enhance the recreational and commercial properties of the wood. Thus a thriving patchwork of sunny rides and shady thickets will be preserved, supporting a complex web of plants and creatures and offering enjoyment and relaxation for all.
For centuries, areas of woodland were respected as basic essentials of life, supporting all human activity:
The rolling countryside around Melton Wood is ideal for cycling, there are several routes taking in bridle paths, country lanes and short stretches of main road. Suitable for the whole family to enjoy and explore, they are designed with the country-loving cyclist in mind. So jump on your bike and discover local wildlife and landscape from a new perspective.
On the bus:
Telephone Travel South Yorkshire on 01709 515151 for full details of all bus services.
