Dinton Pastures Country Park
Previous to gravel extraction the site belonged to High Chimneys Farm. The farmhouse, which is now the Dragonfly cafe building was built in 1904. In 1924 it was sold to a farmer who re-named it after his home village of Dinton, near Aylesbury. Sheep and cattle were kept on the farm and the Emmbrook and Loddon rooms were originally cow sheds built in the 1920s. The large concrete floors in the large barn still have the indentations in them where the cows once stood for milking.
The gravel extraction created 8 lakes on the original farm site. Part of the Emmbrook was diverted to run alongside the golf course. The remnant of the old course can still be seen today, dividing one of the islands on Black Swan Lake.
As the water areas were created, wildlife and visitors moved in. Wintering wildfowl like wigeon, pochard and goldeneye soon found the lakes as well as familiar species like swans, coots, mallards and gulls. Nightingales found places to nest in the scrub areas and dragonfly species moved into the wetlands. The park has a significant number of the latter with 18 species present on site out of a British total of 42 species. Rarer birds started to arrive like bitterns and smew on Lavell's Lake and great crested newts have been found in the ponds.
Wokingham District Council Countryside Service manage the site with the aim of balancing wildlife needs with access to the park for people. The site has been zoned to include fishing and sailing lakes as well as quieter conservation areas. Over 5,000 school children visit the site annually to learn about their environment. Regular Countryside Events are organised throughout the year on everything from bat and bird walks to basket making and star watching as well as bigger 'fundays' for families, where there are up to 3,000 people.