It may be little known to some residents but Boxley has a very strong cultural link with nature conservation, not only is Boxley Warren an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest of national importance) and a candidate SAC (Special Area of Conservation of international importance), Boxley is also named after a tree, the box tree! In fact, the name translates from the Anglo-Saxon root ‘Boc Leah’ relating to a glade in a woodland, where the tree tends to grow. Box must have been notable here in previous centuries, probably as a feature special to Southern chalk, rather than just because of the number of trees. In the Kent Downs, Boxley is a unique example, where the South-facing scarp-slope provides a perfect habitat. About 20 other places such as ‘Box Hill‘ in Surrey and ‘Boxwell Court’ in Gloucestershire share this ancestry and are known to have supported continuous box woodland.

Whatever the specific relationship between place name and tree, it’s an unfortunate fact that the sparcity of box trees in Boxley has now become the major feature, and indeed this is true in other areas. Box is commonly associated with use in ornamental gardens and hedges and although this may still be prevalent, it is misleading as the variety used is imported rather than indigenous. Native box is a low growing, evergreen species that requires a fair amount of light to survive, and in Boxley there are only about 4 left! It probably survived better in past centuries because more people were active in and made practical use of the woodland. Now there are many mature yew trees blocking the light over what were previously scrubby slopes.

Box is not an exciting plant. It doesn’t produce great big pink flowers, it doesn’t catch and consume flies and small mammals, nor does it even produce any cones or conkers; it has been alleged, however, that the dense, dark, box thickets house important populations of elves and chalk fairies. Hence its preservation is a clear priority in terms of species conservation. Because of this, the Mid Kent Downs Project has approached a local nursery to grow on some box cuttings for re-planting. If all goes to plan there will be at least 50 new trees for planting in suitable areas in about three years time. It is a long-term project, but one which will create an invaluable stock of locally adapted trees to re-establish this important and unique habitat. The project is also very valuable because imported box is much less resistant to disease than that which is home-grown and locally adapted. Essentially, this represents an excellent opportunity to spread the native species into all sorts of planting projects in and around the Downs.

Of course, it is well-known that people no longer spend so much time clearing patches of woodland, and that elves are resistant to taking on new technologies such as the chainsaw. However there has been some recent clearance work around Boxley Warren for chalk grassland restoration so it is hoped that some open areas for planting the box can be found.