Editing Ashtead (section)

===Ashtead Common===
{{Main|Ashtead Common}}
In medieval times, Ashtead Common was the [[Manorialism#Manorial waste|waste land]] of the manor. It was used extensively for [[grazing]] of [[livestock]], trees were harvested for [[lumber|timber]] and many of the older [[oak]]s show signs of [[pollarding]].<ref name=Stuttard_1995_pp6-12/>{{refn|There are more than 2,300 oak trees on Ashtead Common, many of which are thought to be between 200 and 300 years old.<ref name=Ormiston_2021>{{cite news |last= Ormiston |first= Sam |date= 2 October 2021 |title= The stunning nature reserve inside the M25 with 500 acres of the most beautiful woodland you never knew about |url= https://www.mylondon.news/lifestyle/travel/stunning-nature-reserve-inside-m25-21700085 |work= My London |access-date= 14 October 2021 |archive-date= 14 October 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211014214449/https://www.mylondon.news/lifestyle/travel/stunning-nature-reserve-inside-m25-21700085 |url-status= live }}</ref>|group=note}} Following the end of the Second World War, the Common was designated a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] and was protected as part of the Metropolitan Greenbelt. It was purchased by Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) in 1988 and was passed to the Corporation of London in 1991.<ref name=Stuttard_1995_pp6-12/><ref>{{cite journal |last= Lever |first= R.A. |year= 1991 |title= City of London Corporation takes over Ashtead Common |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_5_NO_4_1991.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 5 |issue= 4 |page= 98 |access-date= 9 November 2021 }}</ref> Today the total area of the Common is approximately {{convert|200|ha|acre|-1|abbr=on}} and access is provided by public [[footpath]]s and [[bridle path|bridleways]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cms.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/7A456139-0841-4A14-9255-8EDB69280299/0/ashtead_management_plan.pdf |title=Ashtead Common National Nature Reserve: Site Management Plan (1 April 2005 – 31 March 2010) |last1=Warnock |first1= R. |last2= Ritchie |first2= P. |year=2005 |work=Site Management Plan |publisher=Corporation of London Open Spaces Department |access-date= 25 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110723142649/http://cms.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/7A456139-0841-4A14-9255-8EDB69280299/0/ashtead_management_plan.pdf |archive-date= 23 July 2011 }}</ref> It provides a [[habitat]] for 90 different bird species, including [[tawny owl]]s and [[European green woodpecker|green woodpeckers]], as well as 130 rare species of [[beetle]].<ref name=Ormiston_2021/>