Accessed from Anthony Street, opposite the Dutchmans' Wall

Rothley Parish Council purchased this field to ensure that it remained a green space within the centre of the village. Named after Mr Bunney who ran it as a smallholding, with his hens and animals and a collection of old farm machinery, the name was retained and now always called 'Bunney's Field'.

It is now used for village events, rather like an old village green, and is regularly mown. It is bordered on one side by the Rothley Brook, on another by a railing fence, on another by a fence with hedgerow (looking very worn out in 2012) along Anthony Street and the other boundary with wooden fencing and hedgerow along the edge of the car park of the Woodman's Stroke.

The boundary along Anthony Street has a deep ditch running from the Donkey Field, under Hallfields Lane and to the brook. This border is fenced off from the mown area of Bunney's Field and in 2012 it is in a bad state with broken hedgerow and highly invasive hops which get so heavy that they break down the trees and hedgerow. This will be the subject of another project from 2012.

Young trees were planted in 1999 along the boundary with Hallfields Lane. One died in 2011 and will be replaced.

Date: 30th July 2001

A visit was made on a hot, sunny day to look at the wildlife in Bunney's Field. It was excellent for butterflies in the rough area along the ditch boundary of Anthony Street. Gatekeeper, Comma, Peacock, Meadow Brown, Small Tortopiseshell and Holly Blue were recorded and also a Brown Hawker Dragonfly.

Date: 9th August 2001

This was to look at the vegetation on the banks of the ditch along Anthony Street. With the field being regularly mown no records could be obtained to be of use in this survey.
The ditch produced the following:
Hawthorn, Stinging nettle, White dead nettle, Hedge bindweed, Creeping thistle, Spear thistle, Bramble. White bryony, Great willowherb, Common cleavers, White clover, Broad-leaved dock, Ribwort plantain, Blackthorn, Meadow sweet, Silverweed, Ragwort, Coltsfoot, Hop, Ox-eye daisy, Perforate St. John's wort.
The water in the ditch contained Pond weed. Bees were very active around the vegetation.

On the banks of Rothley Brook was Water Figwort and on another boundary we found Horseradish, Cut-leaved cranesbill and Nipplewort.

On the 4th September 2001 a botanical survey was carried out by Charnwood Wildlife which also recorded the species mentioned above but also adding Creeping buttercup and daisy. In the ditch area there is Reed sweet-grass and Reed canary-grass. The invasive bramble and hops were also mentioned.
Charnwood Wildlife noted that the Rothley Brook was a Site of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC) with good populations of fish and also Kingfishers.
Charnwood Wildlife Site Survey for Bunney's Field, The Donkey Field and adjacent land dated 04/09/2001 Ref: W5812/2

Early pictures of Bunney's Field show the vegetation newly planted and looking clean and tidy. In 2011 part of it became a project for improving the Rothley image. To find out what was done please click on the following link:

A transformation took place at the end of 2013 and into 2014 and the overgrown vegetation has been removed and planting has begun. Whilst 'overgrown' can be good for some wildlife it is no good in the long term when dominant species take over.
To see what Bunney's Field is like in 2013/2014 and our COMMUNITY ORCHARD please click on the following link:

To return to the Landscape of Rothley and all the sites please click on the following link: