Pipley Wood is a 60 acre mixed broadleaved woodland in the parish of North Stoke, near Bath. The wood has a long history and is a haven for wildlife set in a beautiful location on the limestone scarp on Lansdown overlooking the Avon valley. At the valley bottom, the Pipley brook runs over rock and in marsh. Tangled slopes rise to a windswept Cotswold hilltop with panoramic views to the Mendips to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the north and west, with the mountains of south Wales in the misty distance. It is a wild wood ruled by nature with minimal interference by man.
The Sir Alexander Lawrence Woodland Trust, established by Sir John Lawrence of Brockham End in 1985 in memory of his father, promotes the permanent preservation and improvement of the wood for the benefit of the public and especially the inhabitants of the Parish of North Stoke and the village of Upton Cheyney. The woodlands are managed by the Pipley Wood Committee with the help of local volunteers and friends.
Since the Trust was first established, the Trustee, Committee and Friends of Pipley Wood have undertaken a number of projects including the improvement of paths and new way marks and maps throughout the wood.
An ecological survey of the woods has been made, resulting in a plan for the next ten years which will include improvements to boundaries and fences, managed coppicing, finding uses for unwanted timber, such as charcoal burning and fuel for local people and enhancement of the ecological value of the flora and fauna.
Alongside these projects, the Trust promotes the enjoyment of the woods through social activities (including appointing an artist in residence to interpret the woods artistically) and guided walks. We are eager to involve local families and children and have formed an association with the Woodland Rangers who combine fun and learning for young and 'grown up' children.