The Lodge RSPB reserve

RSPB The Lodge
Sandy Lodge, Sandy Warren
Woodland at Sandy Quarry, The Lodge
Location	Sandy, Bedfordshire, England
Coordinates	52°06′58″N 0°15′55″W / 52.116156°N 0.265382°W / 52.116156; -0.265382Coordinates: 52°06′58″N 0°15′55″W / 52.116156°N 0.265382°W / 52.116156; -0.265382
Area	180 hectares
Created	1961 (1961)

The Lodge
The Lodge house viewed from the formal gardens, with old swimming pool in foreground
Former names	Sandy Lodge
General information
Address	Sandy, Bedfordshire, England

RSPB The Lodge is a nature reserve run by the RSPB, named after the building there, The Lodge, which is their headquarters. It is located south-east of the town of Sandy, Bedfordshire, in England.

The reserve sits on the Greensand Ridge, overlooking the River Ivel valley and includes areas of broadleaved and coniferous woodland, acid grassland and heathland. The area surrounding The Lodge was covered in heathland prior to the 19th century, when it was ploughed up for agriculture or planted with non-native conifer species for forestry.

In 2005, work began to restore some areas of heathland. The aim is to attract species including woodlark Lullula arborea, European nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus, and Dartford warbler Sylvia undata.Sandy Warren, part of the reserve, is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The site has two Iron Age hill forts, built about 700 BC; the more impressive, on Galley Hill, is a univallate fort, with obvious banks and ditches. 'Sandy Warren' later became a valuable source of rabbits for food.

Around 1851, the 'Swiss Cottage' (which now serves as the reserve's visitor centre and shop) was built for Captain William Peel. When he died, the estate passed to his mother, and then to his younger brother Arthur Wellesley Peel, who built the large house then known as 'Sandy Lodge'. Arthur Wellesley Peel was an MP and Speaker of the House of Commons. In 1934, the house was sold to Sir Malcolm Stewart and the formal gardens were established.