Moor House, a large upland area of the north Pennines, was among the first National Nature Reserves designated in England in 1952. Over the past 70 years it has hosted an extraordinary amount of research, leading to over 1,000 publications. Its significance as a focus for scientific studies was one reason it was chosen as an Environmental Change Network site, and we have been making detailed observations at Moor House since the network began in 1992.
This report provides, for the first time, a comprehensive record of publications linked to Moor House. It also explores key themes and how these have changed over time, and highlights some of the important findings that demonstrate the value of this unique outdoor laboratory. Studies at Moor House include the International Biological Programme (IBP) during the 1960s and 70s, and the Hard Hill grazing and burning plots, established in 1954 and still studied to this day.
The report includes a short history of the reserve, spotlights key people associated with Moor House research and features a range of archive photographs.
Download the report and the accompanying bibliography from the Natural England publications website.
Further information
- Citation: Noble, A., Wood, C., Furness, M., Rodgers, A. and Crowle, A. 2023. Moor House – an outdoor laboratory. 70 years of research at Moor House National Nature Reserve. NERR156. Natural England.
- Moor House – Upper Teesdale ECN site
- For further insights into scientific life at Moor House, see Moor House Memories: Social history of a nature reserve, compiled by John Adamson
- Monitoring of the Hard Hill grazing and burning experimental plots is currently supported by the Ecological Continuity Trust.