Editing Ashtead (section)

===Ashtead Rye Meadows===
The privately owned Ashtead Rye Meadows, to the west of the village, was designated a [[Site of Nature Conservation Interest]] in 2013.<ref name=ARM_SWT>{{cite web |url= https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/CausewayDocList/DocServlet?ref=MO/2015/0751&docid=563672 |title= Ecological Appraisal: Ashtead Rye Meadows SNCI Ashtead, Surrey |last= Jones |first= Jim |year= 2013 |publisher= Surrey Wildlife Trust |access-date= 23 May 2021 |archive-date= 23 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210523100247/https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/CausewayDocList/DocServlet?ref=MO%2F2015%2F0751&docid=563672 |url-status= live }}</ref> The {{convert|48|acre|ha|0|order=flip|abbr=on|adj=on}} site runs along the banks of The Rye, downstream of Ashtead Common. In the early Middle Ages, part of the area was known as "The Great Marsh" and the [[manorial roll|court roll]] of 1483 records its clearance and conversion into [[pasture]]. The system of drainage was also installed around this time and the oldest [[hedge]]s date from at least 1638.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.ryemeadows.org.uk/home/about-us |title= About us |last= Burnett |first= Daphne |year= 2020 |publisher= Rye Meadows Wetlands |access-date= 23 May 2021 |archive-date= 16 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210116052536/http://ryemeadows.org.uk/home/about-us |url-status= live }}</ref> The course of The Rye through the meadows was straightened during the 1950s when the adjacent housing was constructed, leading to a loss of wildlife habitats.<ref name=ARM_SWT/><ref name=ARM_restoration>{{cite web |url= https://www.ryemeadows.org.uk/home/rye-restoration-project |title= Rye Restoration Project |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2015 |publisher= Ashtead Rye Meadows |access-date= 23 May 2021 |archive-date= 16 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210116055608/http://ryemeadows.org.uk/home/rye-restoration-project |url-status= live }}</ref> Volunteers restored the stream in the 2010s, reinstating the original meanders.<ref name=ARM_restoration/> In 2017, one area of the meadows was designated a "Centenary Field" to commemorate the 62 residents of Ashtead who died in the First World War.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.fieldsintrust.org/ArchivedNews/fields--ashtead-rye-meadows-wetlands-creates-living-legacy-to-mark-world-war-i-centenary |title= Ashtead Rye Meadows Wetlands creates living legacy to mark World War I Centenary |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 26 May 2017 |publisher= Fields in Trust |access-date= 5 September 2021 |archive-date= 12 August 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200812214255/http://fieldsintrust.org/ArchivedNews/fields--ashtead-rye-meadows-wetlands-creates-living-legacy-to-mark-world-war-i-centenary |url-status= live }}</ref>