Peasland Knapp

Have you ever walked through a bustling town and stumbled upon a peaceful, natural space where you least expected it? Sidmouth is home to just such a surprising find. Tucked away from the main streets is Peaslands Knapp, an attractive, hilly nature area created and cared for by the community for the benefit of both people and local wildlife.

Peaslands Knapp is a nature reserve owned and diligently maintained by the Sid Vale Association (SVA). It is a key part of the Sid Vale Association's wider mission to preserve and enhance the valley's biodiversity, serving as one of several SVA-owned havens managed specifically to protect and promote the rich array of wildflowers catalogued in a recent valley-wide survey. This special focus makes it a vibrant and evolving habitat right in our midst.

This quiet sanctuary is located in the centre of town, near the top of Peaslands Road. Its story isn't one of grand design, but of patient, community-driven conservation, piece by piece. The Peasland Knapp's journey began when a small, steep field—a leftover piece of a private garden from a property bought by developers—was purchased by the SVA at auction. More recently, the association acquired adjacent land on the Knapp from the East Devon District Council (EDDC), allowing them to unite the plots and maintain the entire attractive hilly area for public enjoyment.

The transformation of Peaslands Knapp into a thriving natural space is an ongoing effort. The SVA’s management is tailored to maximize the area's potential to support a wide range of local flora and fauna. 

Local volunteers are the heart and soul of Peaslands Knapp. A dedicated group of SVA volunteers has done amazing work renovating the paths, restoring the pond, and planting the trees that are shaping this nature reserve. This community-driven spirit continues, with helpers needed for fieldwork at the Knapp every week. The only requirement is enthusiasm, making it a wonderful opportunity for anyone to get involved in nurturing this local green space.

To assist with landscape management, the meadows are grazed by sheep during the autumn and winter months and so the area may be closed during this time.

The reserve is noted for its uncultivated and semi-improved meadows, which host species that are increasingly rare in the wider Devon landscape.

• Spring Flowers: Early in the season, the meadows feature Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna), Cowslips (Primula veris), Buttercups (Ranunculus acris, bulbosus, and repens), and Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis).

• Summer Wildflowers: Notable species include Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Cat’s Ear (Hypochaeris radicata), Common Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica), Agrimony, and Field Scabious.

• Specialist Plants: Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) is actively managed on the site to reduce the dominance of coarse grasses. Creeping Cinquefoil is frequently found growing on the tops of the reserve's many Yellow Meadow Ant hills.

The reserve’s structural complexity, from ground-level meadows to high-canopy woodland, supports a high scale of faunal diversity.

The site is a "haven" for Yellow Meadow Ants (Lasius flavus) and orthoptera such as the Long-winged Conehead and Roesel’s Bush Cricket.

    ◦ Butterflies: Species recorded include the Large Skipper, Meadow Brown, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Painted Lady, and Ringlet.

    ◦ Moths: Identified species include the Elephant Hawk Moth, Buff Tip, Dark Arches, Heart and Dart, Willow Beauty, and Buff Ermine.

Peaslands Knapp is more than just a park; it's a testament to the idea that no scrap of land is too small or too steep to be worthless. It stands as a living legacy, proving that with community vision, leftover plots can be woven back into the town's green fabric, creating wildness where it was once forgotten.