The London Borough of Barnet, on the northern outskirts of London, is mainly residential, but it has large areas of green space and farmland. The spread of suburban development into the countryside was halted by the designation of a statutory Green Belt around London after the Second World War, and almost one third of Barnet's area of 8,663 hectares (21,410 acres) is Green Belt. Without this control, Barnet would be very different today, and this list of nature reserves would be much shorter.[1]
Most of Barnet lies over London Clay, which is poor for agriculture, and open land is mainly used for activities such as horse grazing, playing fields, parks and golf courses. Features of the traditional agricultural landscape have survived, such as old hedgerows, ancient trees and areas of herb-rich grassland. Some hay meadows have a large diversity of wild flowers, and the London Ecology Unit (LEU)[a] described them as one of Barnet's most important ecological assets.[4]
Barnet has large areas with designations intended to protect them from "inappropriate development", and to "provide the strongest protection for the preservation of Barnet's green and natural open spaces". As well as 2,466 hectares (6,090 acres) of Green Belt, Barnet has another 690 hectares (1,700 acres) of Metropolitan Open Land, which receive a similar level of protection. Watling Chase Community Forest[b] covers 72 square miles (190 km2), extending north and west from Totteridge into south Hertfordshire.[6]
In 1992 Barnet Council commissioned the LEU to carry out a survey of wildlife habitats in the borough, which looked at green sites covering 4,055 hectares (10,020 acres), 45% of the borough. In 1997 the LEU published Nature Conservation in Barnet, which described 67 Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs).[7][8] This formed the basis of Barnet's nature conservation policies in its 2006 Unitary Development Plan, designated as "a material planning consideration" to be used as "non-statutory guidance".[9] The table below lists SINCs described in Nature Conservation in Barnet.[10][c] SINCs do not have statutory protection, but some sites are also wholly or partly designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest[d] or local nature reserves,[e] which do have statutory protection.[18] According to a report of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 39% of Barnet's SINCs were "in positive conservation management" in 2009–10. Barnet Council did not supply figures for 2010–11, 2011–12 or 2012–13.[19]
The site covers Arkley Lane, a neighbouring woodland and fields on either side. The lane, now a quiet country path, is thought to be an old drovers' road. The hedges have massive gnarled oak trees, lofty ash and mature field maples, while the hedge bottoms have a diverse range of plants. The woodland is probably ancient, and supports a variety of nesting birds.[25]
This is an extensive area of open grassland crossed by ditches and with mature hedgerows. Its importance lies in its breeding grassland birds, including skylarks and meadow pipits, and it is the main site in the borough for these species. Skylarks have declined in recent years, and they are a priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.[26][27]
This site's fields, which are divided by ancient hedgerows, were rated by the LEU as one of the best examples of old hay meadows in London. Wild flowers are abundant in the summer, with each field having its own specialities. The woods and scrub are important habitats for birds.[28][29]
This ancient trackway is over 400 years old. It has retained its ancient hedgerows along much of its length. Old oak and ash trees line the lane, and there are also some wild service-trees. The hedgerows have diverse shrub species.[30]
This small public park is the garden of Avenue House. It has a terrace with ornamental plants and a rockery. There is a pond which has hornwort, yellow iris and water-lilies, together with common frogs and koi carp. There are large areas of shrubbery.[31]
This small wildlife site is adjacent to a playground. Its scrub and grassland provide a haven for common lizards and slowworms, both legally protected species.[32]
The centre was established in the 1970s to provide schoolchildren with contact with farm animals and wildlife. After a period of closure the now renamed Barnet Environment Centre operates a full programme of environmental education visits for school children from Nursery to A level. Its woodland has a wide range of birds. Ponds support aquatic life and more open areas have a wide variety of insects.[33][34]
This small cemetery has mown grass in the western part, but in the east it is less managed, and has a wide variety of wild flowers. The LEU described it as a fine site for butterflies, including gatekeeper, small skipper and meadow brown.[35][36]
This site is a secluded small park, which has a fair number of wild flowers and mature trees, together with an old hedgerow. The local Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has recorded a wide range of birds for a small suburban park.[37]
These woods are remnants of an ancient large forest. Big Wood has a wide variety of trees and shrubs, with pedunculate oak the dominant species. There are several old wild service-trees. All the common woodland species of birds are present in the woods, and Little Wood has a small theatre.[38]
Brent Reservoir is Barnet's only Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is an important breeding site for waterfowl and other birds, including one of Britain's largest breeding populations of great crested grebe. It has many uncommon wetland plants and insects, including over forty rare species of invertebrates. It is also one of the few London sites with water shrews.[39]
This steeply sloping site has a varied topography. On higher ground there are dry areas, while lower down there are areas of bog crossed by several small streams. The field has typical pasture herbs, a scattering of mature trees and a wide variety of birds.[40]
Burtonhole Lane is an old green lane which is now a bridleway and footpath. Its hedgerow has several species of trees, such as wild service-tree and black bryony, which suggest that it is ancient, and its verge is rich in wild flowers. The pasture area is dominated by Yorkshire Fog. It is crossed by Burtonhole Brook, which supports a number of uncommon plant species.[41]
This local park was once part of the Bishop of London's Great Hornsey Park. it has an inner area of lawn with a playground and tennis courts, which is surrounded by the surviving ancient woodland. Its tree canopy is mainly oak and hornbeam, and its sparse undergrowth has a number of species associated with ancient woodland, such as wild garlic and wood-sedge.[42]
This small park has mown grass, a children's playground, scented shrubs and a small wildlife pond.[43] In October 2010 Barnet Council gave planning consent for the Brent Cross Cricklewood Planning Application, which includes closure of the Clarefield Park and development of the area.[44][45]
This is an ancient green lane which leads from Edgwarebury into the Hertfordshire countryside. An old hedge bank and herbaceous plants associated with ancient woodland suggest that it is of considerable antiquity. Its canopy has fine old oaks above an understorey of midland hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel.[46]
This large recreation ground is managed as a sports field, and its main wildlife interest is in the unmanaged perimeter which has species such as crab apple which are typical of ancient hedgerows.[47] The Brent Cross Cricklewood scheme includes improvements to the Recreation Ground.[48]
College Farm in central Finchley was a working farm open to the public from 1980 until the foot and mouth epidemic in 2001. A charitable trust purchased the site in 2006, but as of March 2013 efforts to re-open the farm have failed, and the farm buildings are an equestrian shop. The site has trees and scrub which provide a habitat for birds, and pipistrelle bats have been recorded.[49]
These sites provide a range of wildlife habitats. Coppetts Wood has a population of juneberry, and a pond which has yellow iris and breeding common frogs and smooth newts. Scrublands is on the site of a former sewage works. It has a number of rare plant and insect species.[50]
This is a green path along an old railway line, with Copthall Old Common at one side. The grassland on the walk is mostly false oat-grass, with a wide diversity of wild flowers. The hedges have some fine old oaks and areas of bluebells. A pond on the common has yellow iris and water-starwort. The site also has a range of birds and invertebrates, including glow-worms, a scarce and declining species.[51]
The fields have what the LEU described as "a surprisingly rural quality", even though they lie alongside the A1 road. The hedgerow trees are oak, ash and field maple, and the fields contain flowers typical of clay grassland, such as meadow vetchling, meadow buttercup and common sorrel.[52]
Kingfishers and grey wagtails are often seen along the two kilometre Deans Brook, which largely follows a natural course. In Stoneyfields Park it has been widened into an ornamental lake, which has a wide fringe of tall water plants such as great and lesser reedmace, and breeding birds such as coots, moorhens and mallards. The woodland in the park is oak and hazel, and the hedgerows have plants which show that it is ancient, such as wood-sedge and ramsons.[53]
This site consists of several fields and two small woods. The pasture areas have a variety of grasses and wild flowers, including some typical of old pasture, such as crested dog's-tail and oval sedge. Wetter areas have plants such as tufted hair-grass and greater bird's-foot-trefoil, while the woods are mainly oak, ash and sycamore.[54]
Most of this cemetery is formally managed, but it has some old oaks which have survived from its rural past, and evergreen trees such as cedar of Lebanon and Wellingtonia provide a habitat for goldcrest and coal tit. In less managed areas there are wild flowers such as burnet saxifrage, and around the edges of the site ash and sycamore are evolving into woodland.[55]
This site is London Clay pasture which has not been cultivated for many years. In areas of damp grassland it has London's largest population of the herb great burnet, and other rare plants characteristic of old meadows include sneezewort and devil's-bit scabious. Breeding birds include the yellowhammer and spotted flycatcher, both of which are declining species.[56]
This stream rises among fields and flows through Edgware Way Rough on to suburban Edgware, where it join Deans Brook. The most important section ecologically is the upper part, which was rated by the LEU as one of the best areas of wetland vegetation in Barnet. There is a mass of floating sweet-grass with clumps of brooklime and water pepper. The banks have clumps of great willowherb and trifid bur-marigold.[57]
Darland's Lake, which is now a nature reserve, was originally an ornamental feature created by damming Folly Brook. The water quality is good, and Darland's Lake has extensive reed beds. On its margin there is a boggy wood of willows and alder, a scarce habitat in London. The site has a number of tree species typical of ancient woodland, and a diverse bird and invertebrate population, while eighteen species of mammal have been recorded.[59]
This is an area of five fields which was once part of a communal pasture called Barnet Common. The grassland is unimproved clay grassland, a relic of the old common. It has many species of wild flowers, and the most important aspect of the site is its diverse old meadow plants. Some of the rarities have been found in temporary pools, such as bog stitchwort and pond and ivy-leaved crowfoot.[61]
This is a fragment of the old Finchley Common. It has tall scrub and woodland, together with numerous streams and seasonal ponds. The pools have a number of rare species, and it is the only known London site for lesser water-plantain. Other rarities are thread-leaved water-crowfoot (Ranunculus trichophyllus) and marsh speedwell, and the site has diverse breeding birds.[62]
The principal feature of this small park is its large lake, with a wooded island. Water birds include mallard, mute swan, coot and moorhen, and pipistrelle and noctule bats have been seen foraging.[63]
The LEU described the hedges of Hampstead Heath Extension as some of the best on the Heath. It also has a chain of seven ponds which have a wide variety of aquatic and pond margin plant species. Golders Hill Park has areas of formal and less managed parkland. Swan Pond is a large ornamental lake which has a variety of exotic and native wildfowl.[65]
The site is mainly informal parkland, with mown grass and mature trees. A variety of small birds forage among the tall hedgerows at the northern end. The railway cutting has rough grassland and patches of woodland, which provide a habitat for birds such as the great spotted woodpecker and goldcrest.[66]
This site is mainly covered with coarse grasses, but it also has herb-rich fields dominated by creeping bent and red fescue, together with wild flowers commonly found on unimproved grassland. Oak trees grow in old hedges, and breeding birds include sparrowhawk and stock dove.[67]
This site is a lake with a small island behind an office block, surrounded by a belt of trees. The island provides a safe breeding ground for wildfowl, away from mammalian predators. The lake also has fish, frogs, toads and terrapins.[68]
This site covers Dollis Brook between Woodside Park and its end in Temple Fortune, where it becomes the River Brent, the Brent as far as the A1, and Brent Park. At the Woodside Park end there is a wild area with old ivy-clad oaks and alder. Brent Park has a lake which may have been created by the abbots of Westminster almost a thousand years ago. It has a wooded island which provides a refuge for birds.[69]
The golf course has several small streams which meet in Stoneyfields Lake, which was formed by damming Deans Brook. On the edges of the fairways there is a variety of wild flowers, some of them relics of old farm meadows. The most important area ecologically is acid grassland which contains the rare plant dyer's greenweed.[70]
This linear nature reserve on the site of an old railway line is managed by the London Wildlife Trust. Trees in the woodland canopy include oak and sycamore, and there is a scrub layer of hawthorn, blackthorn and grey willow. The grassland has a range of wild flowers, and the site has a large population of slow-worms.[71]
The LEU described this site as a "remarkable example of unimproved herb-rich pasture on damp clay soil, with substantial populations of attractive and locally uncommon wild flowers". Burtonhole Brook crosses the site, providing a corridor of damp habitat, and old hedgerows and small areas of woodland provide a refuge for birds.[72]
Moat Mount is a large hilly area, which slopes down to valleys, which have open fields crossed by old hedgerows. Towards the top of the hill woodland opens out to Leg of Mutton Pond, which has clumps of water-lilies and Nuttall's waterweed. The site also includes the neighbouring Barnet Gate Wood, which is probably a remnant of an ancient forest.[73]
This large common is mostly wooded, with small areas of grassland. Daubenton's bats forage over an artificial lake called Jack's Lake. The principal trees are oak, hornbeam and beech, and the ground flora includes several plants which are normally only present in ancient woodland. Breeding birds include sparrowhawk, tawny owl and cuckoo.[74]
The cemetery is closely managed in the vicinity of recent burials, but woodland has developed in other areas, where young oak, ash, birch and sycamore are growing between mature oak and yew trees. There is a range of breeding birds such as green and great spotted woodpeckers, coal tit and nuthatch, and the cemetery is the most northerly known site for the dusky cockroach, a native species.[77]
These ponds have one of few known populations of palmate newts in Barnet, and there is also a colony of the more common smooth newt. The pond edges have some Michaelmas daisies and water mint. A ditch leads to a small area of woodland, and this is probably an important corridor for amphibia.[78]
The vegetation varies between low bramble scrub and light woodland, and it provides a habitat for small birds such as tits and finches. The main ecological significance of the site lies in one of Barnet's few known colonies of the common lizard, which are protected by the absence of pesticides, and freedom from dogs, cats and people.[79]
This wood is managed by the London Wildlife Trust. The canopy is oak, hornbeam and ash, with some horse chestnut trees. Ground plants include bluebell and wood speedwell. A small stream flows through the wood, and a meadow has common wild flowers and butterflies. The site also has several bat species.[80]
This site has a diverse habitat. The eastern bank has an open expanse of bramble scrub with clumps of blackthorn, hawthorn and dog-rose. The western bank has a mature woodland of oak, ash and sycamore, with goat willow in wetter areas. Tall herbs are useful to seed eating birds such goldfinch, wrens and dunnocks.[81]
This small park is highly managed, with mown lawns and flowerbeds, but some of the old trees pre-date the surrounding houses. In the south-east corner a small woodland appears to be a fragment of an old farm wood. Mature hawthorns around the perimeter may be relics of old farm hedgerows.[82]
Two separate sections of Pymme's Brook are included in this site. The northern section, which runs 500 metres from Monken Hadley, goes through rough grassland and scattered scrub, with a narrow strip of oak woodland. The three kilometre southern stretch to the boundary with Enfield is largely wooded. One part is ancient, with an understorey which includes wild service-trees, midland hawthorn, field maple and crab apple.[83]
This site has a mosaic of habitats with different conditions and many rare species. Most of it is woodland with fairly young trees, and the most important area ecologically is a sphagnum bog, described by the LEU as an extremely rare habitat in south-east England. The site also has an area of acid grassland and a pond which supports diverse wetland plants.[84]
This is an old hay meadow with a few oak trees and small patches of scrub. It has diverse wild flowers, including great burnet and pignut. Areas of acid grassland are dominated by red fescue, together with sheep's sorrel and tormentil.[85]
Part of Scratchwood is ancient woodland, possibly dating back to the end of the last ice age, which has small streams, tall sessile oaks and old hornbeams. Other areas include Bluebell Wood, which is more open and has extensive carpets of wild flowers, and Scratchwood Pond which has marshy areas nearby described by the LEU as botanically very rich.[86]
These streams were described by the LEU as valuable wildlife corridors through suburban housing. Mallards and grey wagtails are often seen along the banks, and fish include three-spined stickleback. The streams are best seen when they go through parks, such as Silkstream Park, Montrose Recreation Ground and Rushgrove Park.[87]
Parts of this cemetery which are no longer used for burials are managed for nature conservation. These areas have woodland and open grassland, while Strawberry Vale Brook which flows through the north-east corner. The LEU considered the understorey of the wood as surprisingly rich, including pignut, goldilocks buttercup, cuckooflower, primrose, wild and barren strawberries.[88]
Most of this site is formal parkland, but at the southern end there is a wild flower meadow with black knapweed, common sorrel, lesser stitchwort and three species of buttercup. An area at the northern end is managed to preserve slow-worms.[89]
The grassland in the more natural part of this site has scattered oak and willow scrub, and mature trees and hedgerows on the periphery. There is a variety of wild flowers, and the small copper butterfly has been recorded. A small pond has rich aquatic flora including nodding bur-marigold and branched bur-reed.[90]
The trees on this site are mostly sycamore and elm, but it also has two black poplars, which are considered England's most threatened native tree.[91] The most important feature ecologically is a chain of old ponds, which are valuable for dragonflies, other insects and amphibians. Plants in deep water include white water-lily and curled and broad-leaved pondweeds.[92]
This site was described by the LEU as an interesting example of unimproved clay grassland. Much of it is covered with tufted hair-grass, but there is considerable variety between the different fields. There is a variety of wild flowers, including uncommon species such as sneezewort and pignut.[93]
This site has large areas of uncultivated grassland with old hedgerows. Part of it is a local nature reserve managed by the London Wildlife Trust. There is a wide range of wild flowers, including some that are locally uncommon, and breeding birds include the skylark, which is a declining species. A number of beetles and spiders found here are nationally rare.[94]
This is a typical English village green with open grassland, scattered trees, small areas of scrubby woodland and a pond. The main grasses are perennial rye-grass and other coarse meadow species. There are several damp hollows, probably former ponds, which have uncommon wild flowers such as great burnet and bog stitchwort. Woodland plants include soft shield-fern, which is rare locally.[95]
This private nature reserve is a fragment of Bishops Wood, part of the Bishop of London's medieval estate. The landscape is undulating, with two small streams going through the centre. The main tree in the canopy is sessile oak, with a rich understorey including rowan, midland hawthorn and some wild service-trees. The site is managed for nature conservation, especially for birds.[96]
This six kilometre long stretch runs from Arkley to Woodside Park, and the site also includes neighbouring areas such as Whetstone Stray and Wyatt's Open Space, which have flower-rich meadows divided by old hedges. The hedges have uncommon shrubs such as spindle and buckthorn. Birds seen along the stream include kingfishers, grey wagtails and moorhens.[97]
This small site was established as a nature garden for local primary schools. It has young oak woodland and rough grassland, which has wild flowers such as pignut and yellow archangel.[98]
^The London Ecology Unit was established to provide advice to London boroughs following the abolition of the Greater London Council in 1986. In 2000 it was abolished and absorbed into the Greater London Authority.[2][3]
^Community Forests' objects include revitalising derelict land, providing new leisure facilities, preparing for climate change and increasing biodiversity.[5]
^Nature Conservation in Barnet lists 67 sites, but only 66 are shown in this table because Grahame Park SINC no longer exists. It has been re-modelled and renamed Heybourne Park.[11][12] The sites were listed on the Mayor of London's Wildweb website, which was taken down in December 2010. In spring 2012 it was replaced by a new site hosted by Greenspace Information for Greater London (GiGL), London's environmental record centre.[13] This new website covers most SINCs, but others are left out, some which are not publicly accessible and others in error. Wildweb included maps of every site, but Nature Conservation in Barnet only has maps of the most important ones, the 'Sites of Metropolitan Importance'. GiGL has maps for the sites it lists,[14] but the only map for the other sites is the map of the whole borough inside the back cover of Nature Conservation in Barnet. The list of SINCs in Nature Conservation in Barnet has not been updated and is still the basis for GiGL's database.
^Natural England lists 141 local nature reserves in Greater London. Seven of these are in Barnet, but two of these are divided into separate SINCs. Scratchwood and Moat Mount is one LNR but two SINCs, and the same applies to Coppett's Wood and Glebelands. Nine SINCs are thus also LNRs.[17]
^The figures for area are taken from Nature Conservation in Barnet.
^The grid references are taken from Nature Conservation in Barnet. Click on the grid reference and then select a map to see the location of the reserve.
^Brent Reservoir is partly in the London Borough of Brent, and 46 hectares out of the total of 96 is in Barnet.
^Hampstead Heath SINC is composed of the main Heath in the London Borough of Camden and Hampstead Heath Extension and Golders Hill Park in Barnet. 46 hectares is in Barnet out of the total of 329.
^"Grahame Park". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2013. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
^Johnson, Boris (25 January 2012). "London Wildweb site". The London Assembly. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
