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The Great Britain Guide logoThe Great Britain Guide

Forests & woodlands · East of England

Roswell Pits

In or near Ely.

Free admission🐾 Dog-friendly👪 Family-friendly

Roswell Pits is a forest or woodland in the United Kingdom.

Roswell Pits, forests & woodlands in Cambridgeshire

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–3 h
Nearest railway station
Ely · 1.7 km
  • Free entry
  • Family-friendly
  • Dog-friendly

Getting there & planning your visit

To visit Roswell Pits, the nearest railway station is Ely, located 1.7 km away. The postcode for sat-nav is CB7 4TX, and entry is free.

Directions on Google Maps →

About

Roswell Pits is a named forest, woodland or nature reserve in the United Kingdom. Coordinates: 52.4029°, 0.2820°. This entry is part of The Great Britain Guide, a free, ad-free, open-data tourist directory.

Photo gallery

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Ouse Washes SSSI
  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Ely Pits and Meadows SSSI
  • Ramsar wetland: Ouse Washes

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Roswell Pits is a 20 acre nature reserve on the eastern outskirts of Ely in Cambridgeshire. It is managed by the Environment Agency. It is part of the Ely Pits and Meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)) and Geological Conservation Review site. The SSSI designation for both biological and geological interest. The site was formerly managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The pits were a source of gault, an impervious clay used to maintain river banks in the low-lying regions of the South Level of the Fens. Following the re-routing of the rivers in the region by Cornelius Vermuyden and his Adventurers in the 1650s, to more effectively drain the Fens, the peaty soils began to dry out and shrink. As the land surface sunk below the levels of the rivers, it became important to maintain the banks with something impervious to water, to prevent seepage into the newly drained agricultural land, and to prevent collapse of the banks and flooding of the land in times of heavy rainfall. Roswell Pits were an ideal source of this material, as they were located adjacent to…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
52.4029, 0.2820
County
Cambridgeshire
Parish
Ely
Postcode
CB7 4TX
Parliamentary constituency
Ely and East Cambridgeshire
Nearest railway station
Ely1.7 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Roswell Pits?
Roswell Pits is in Cambridgeshire, London, United Kingdom (postcode CB7 4TX), in the parish of Ely.
What is Roswell Pits?
Roswell Pits is a forest or woodland in the United Kingdom.
How do I get to Roswell Pits?
The nearest railway station is Ely, about 1.7 km away. Drivers can use postcode CB7 4TX.
Who owns Roswell Pits?
Roswell Pits is owned by Environment Agency.
Is Roswell Pits a protected site?
Yes — Roswell Pits is part of the Ouse Washes SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Ely Pits and Meadows SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Is Roswell Pits free to visit?
Yes, Roswell Pits is free to enter.
How do I get to Roswell Pits?
The nearest railway station is Ely, about 1.7 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode CB7 4TX.