Kingsmead Marsh
Kingsmead Marsh is a local nature reserve near Stafford in Staffordshire, England. It covers about 6 hectares (15 acres) and is a Grade 1 Site of Biological Importance.
The marsh sits on old marshland that stretched north and east of the town, with the River Sow to the west helping defend the place long ago.
Stafford is thought to have been founded around AD 700 by Beorhthelm (Bertelin), a Mercian prince, who set up a hermitage there. A defended town, the Burh of Stafford, was built in AD 913. In medieval times there was a king’s mill, for which a mill pond called King’s Pool was created.
The site later returned to marsh and became known as Kingsmead, which was probably used for summer grazing in more recent times. Kingsmead Marsh became a local nature reserve in December 2003.
The reserve supports a variety of plants and animals, including species not found locally, such as purple loosestrife and brown sedge. It is managed to protect and improve the area, including coppicing of willow scrub that is encroaching from the edge.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:40 (CET).