I went to the Cambridgeshire Collection today to see if old OS maps of the Beechwoods give any clues as to why it has its distinctive shape. The map for 1903 shows the familiar modern shape for the woods established by then, so I will need to look at earlier editions – it should be possible to go back well into the 19th Century. The map shows the existence of an old clunch pit in the north eastern corner. Might digging for clunch be the origin of the depression in the centre of the woods?
Picture: Ordnance Survey 1903