BURNHAM Beeches has been given a Green Flag Award that recognises the “very best green spaces in the world”.

The green space between Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, which is managed by the City of London Corporation, was honoured with the international award that has been running for more than 30 years.

The Green Flag Award scheme "recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world."

Burnham Beeches also claimed the Green Heritage accreditation in recognition of its historic features and high standards of conservation. 

Chairman of the City Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee, Ben Murphy, said: “These awards are testament to the hard work and dedication of our world-class staff and volunteers. In 2022, our volunteers contributed over 5,000 hours of their time to protect this celebrated nature reserve. 

“I am so proud of everything they do to keep our open spaces in top condition for our millions of visitors.” 

The Beeches was awarded for its “diverse mixture of ancient woodland, wood pasture, coppice, ponds and streams, grassland, mire, and heathland.”

It has also been described as “a New Forest in miniature” at only a mile square.  

One of the three Scheduled Ancient Monuments on the reserve shows that the area was inhabited as early as the Iron Age.