Queen Elizabeth II Fields

Location

Dilly Lane, Hartley Wintney
Closest postcode: RG27 8EQ

View Queen Elizabeth II Fields on Google Maps

What3words: dish.alley.meanders

The site can be easily accessed on foot via the eastern side of the St Mary’s Park development near Mulberry Court. A second entrance can be found at the junction between Dilly Lane and Taplin’s Farm Lane.

Features

• small wildflower meadow with views across surrounding countryside
• 1km circular walk on mown paths
• allotments, managed by Hartley Wintney Parish Council

Wildlife

Top 10 species found at Queen Elizabeth II Fields:

• kestrel
• red kite
• woodcock
• tawny owl
• green woodpecker
• purple foxglove
• wood anemone
• wild cherry
• pedunculate oak
• common honeysuckle

Mini forest experiment

The mini forest experiment at Queen Elizabeth II Fields has been set up to allow the Council and the Hampshire Forest Partnership to monitor and assess two different tree planting methods.

The findings from this experiment will inform future decision makers in picking the most sustainable and environmentally friendly method to plant forests.

The project compares the Miyawaki and slot planting methods. Two 200M² semi-circle areas have been laid out, 12 metres apart from one another and 1,600 trees have been planted. The trees were planted on the 12 and 13 March 2025. The areas is deer-fenced to protect the trees. 

Miyawaki method:

Developed in the 1970s, this method uses 60-80cm tall trees. The native trees will be densely planted in an area approximately the size of a tennis court. The ground is intensively cultivated to about 1m deep and soil improvers added.

Slot planting method:

The second area, which will also be approximately the same size as a tennis court, will use a less invasive planting method commonly called slot planting. Turf is removed where the tree is planted and bare-root native trees put in the slot made by a spade and ‘heeled’ in, and mulch applied.
 

Full Species List: