Belfairs Park & Nature Reserve

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council owns and manages the block of woodlands of approximately 200 acres situated on either side of the borough boundary with Castle Point Council. Part of the woodland is also known as Hadleigh Great Wood, though historically it comprised a number of separate but adjacent woods.

Belfairs Nature Reserve is classified as 'ancient semi-natural woodland' but has been managed continuously, originally as simple coppice and then developing into 'coppice with standards' system as larger timbers were required in the 17th Century. This history of continuous management has led the reserve to have a very rich biological diversity and it was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1981 an din 1985 was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). In 1997 it was chosen as a site for an English Nature project that involved the re-introduction of the Health fritillary butterfly, a nationally rare species of conservation concern.

Belfairs Park comprises some 84.7 hectares (around 209 acres) of which nearly 50 hectares is a golf course. Facilities within the park include 2 bowling greens, tennis court, football, cricket, basketball, children's playground, 18-hole golf course, pitch & putt riding stables, trotting track, pottery, woodlands gardens, nature reserve and restaurant. 

Belfairs Park derives its name from 'Belfair Farm' a farming estate which was sited within the park boundaries early 1200s. The Belfair farm building is the only man-made structural evidence of the farm estate that once existed.