Our Reserves

Morley Brickyards SSSI

(Grid reference SK388418)

Location: South of Brick Kiln Lane, which runs west from the A608 Derby to Heanor road at Morley Smithy.

Nearest Town: Derby

Grid reference:  SK 388418  (OS Landranger 128 Derby & Burton upon Trent)

How to get there: Leave the A608 at Morley Smithy and park alongside Brick Kiln Lane. A public footpath leads from the lane into the reserve.

These former clay pits, which once produced material for bricks, now form a series of shallow pools that provide refuge for a range of wildlife. Please keep to the path through the reserve, but be aware that it is uneven in places and can be flooded in winter.

You enter the reserve through woodland, which consists mainly of oak and birch, where both broad buckler fern and narrow buckler fern can be found. When you reach the ponds you will find reed mace, water plantain and water violet. This plant is now rare in Derbyshire and Morley has one of the best colonies in the county.

Away from the water's edge, there are a range of wetland habitats including willow carr and rush. Here you will also come across yellow archangel and ragged robin.

In early spring the reserve's ponds and ditches provide an ideal breeding ground for amphibians - among them great crested newts, smooth newts, toads and frogs. With carp and tench in the water, fish-eating birds are occasional visitors - you may spot the turquoise flash of a kingfisher or a heron patiently waiting for a meal.
Sunday 10am to 4pm