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St. Leonard's Forest is at the western end of the Wealden Forest Ridge which runs from Horsham to Tonbridge, and is part of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It lies on the ridge to the south of the A264 between Horsham and Crawley with the villages of Colgate and Lower Beeding within it. The A24 lies to west and A23 to the East and A272 through Cowfold to the south. Much has been cleared, but a large area is still wooded. The Forestry Commission has 289 ha. (714 acres) which is open to the public (many regard this as ''The'' St. Leonard's Forest), as are Owlbeech (mainly heathland) and Leechpool Woods (claimed by Horsham District Council to be ancient woodland) to the east of Horsham, and Buchan Country Park to the SW of Crawley. The rest is private with just a few public footpaths and bridleways. Leonardslee Gardens were open to the public until July 2010. The main car parks are at Roosthole close to Mannings Heath Golf Club for the Forestry Commission, Owlbeech/Leechpool on Harwood Road (B2195), and Buchan Country Park on the A264. The High Weald Landscape Trail leads from Horsham Station east across the Forest to Handcross. The Sussex Ouse Valley Way crosses the south of the forest from Lower Beeding to Handcross. It is one of the "Fower stately Wood Nymphs" (Michael Drayton, 1611, Poly-Olbion, Song 17) of the Forest Ridge (the other three being Worth, Ashdown and Waterdown forests) which were part of the ancient Andreaswald or Andreadswald, now the Weald. Earlier used for hunting, by the 16th century they were the centre of the English iron industry. The hammer ponds remain, the dams of those in St. Leonard's forest being crossed by Hammerpond Road between Horsham and Handcross, and today are used for fishing. ==Geology== The ridge is formed of alternating sandstones and clays known as the Hastings Beds dating from the Lower Cretaceous. Some beds contain iron which was used in the iron industry in the 16th century. A particularly strong sandstone bed is known as Tilgate Stone, but this term has also been used for the whole formation. It was frequently quarried for buildings. A thinly bedded layer is known as Horsham Stone, being quarried to the SE of Horsham, and was used for pavements and roofs. In some examples it has a corrugated surface of ripple marks. The streams flowing north from the forest are known as brooks and eventually form the River Mole. Those flowing south are called gills and form the River Arun. The latter have cut down exposing bedrock in places. The Forest Ridge is therefore the watershed between the River Thames and the South Coast. The southern edge of the forest drains into the River Adur, and the Ouse drains the south-eastern corner. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「St Leonard's Forest」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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