The extraordinary thing about the building of Telford New Town was that the development plan incorporated a green network of hedgerows, canals, meadows, canal fringes and other open spaces that were retained, so that wildlife and people could co-exist. It was an achievement that won international recognition, pioneering the way forward for other new towns.
Granville is one of the largest and most wildlife diverse of these places, much valued by local people for its recreational opportunities. The spirit of renewal is tangible here. Nature has reclaimed this place after centuries of industrial activity, which finally ceased when Granville, the last deep mine in the county, closed down.
Relics of former industrial activity, including furnaces and an old winding house, are now surrounded by woodland full of birds, while pit mounds of waste have been transformed into flower-rich grassland and heath. Orchids, ox-eye daisy, cowslips and yellow rattle, rarely seen now in agricultural fields, have miraculously appeared in what was, in the not-so-distant past, a grim and uninviting landscape. The pit mound tops provide good viewpoints over the surrounding countryside and town. An abundance of bird's-foot trefoil now feeds generation after generation of caterpillars of Telford's speciality butterflies, the dingy skipper and green hairstreak.
Now, however, the idealistic vision that gave Telford its feeling of space and greenness is under assault from a new wave of development pressures. Continuous nibbling at the edges, as more houses and industrial buildings appear, is reducing the area of wild space; something which will affect not only wildlife, but the quality of life of its human inhabitants. Granville and the rest of the green network deserve to be vigorously defended.
Directions: Turn on to Granville Road, off the Granville roundabout between Donnington Wood Way and Redhill Way, approximately 2 miles north-east of Telford Town Centre. Follow the signs along the surfaced road for ΒΌ mile to the car park. 
Ownership: Telford & Wrekin Council
Postcode: TF2 8PQ
Grid ref: SJ 719 132
Size: 24.44ha
Granville Country Park is a local nature reserve, it has mostly easy walking; the steep pit mounds can be avoided.
