diamond geezer

Thursday, May 29, 2025

London's Natural Landscape Hierarchy

National Parks
none

National Landscapes (aka Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty)
none (although Farthing Downs and Happy Valley are well advanced in becoming part of the Surrey Hills National Landscape)

National Nature Reserves
• Richmond Park: Charles I's royal hunting park, an enormous roamable oasis of ancient woods and wide-open grasslands, perhaps best known for its historic herds of deer but also home to a multitude of birds, fungi, wildflowers and looping cyclists. Also a European Special Area of Conservation and listed at Grade I on Historic England's Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. [2500 acres]
• Ruislip Woods: The largest block of ancient, semi-natural woodland in Greater London, including one of the most extensive oak/hornbeam coppice woods in southeast England. The UK's first urban NNR, designated in 1997. Busier near Ruislip Lido, blissfully quiet out west. [755 acres]
• South London Downs: An arc of dense woodland and chalk grassland, designated in 2019, stretching from Coulsdon to Sanderstead via Farthing Downs, Happy Valley, Kenley and Riddlesdown. London Loop section 5 threads though most of the NNR so if you've ever walked that you'll know how uplifitingly gorgeous it is. [1030 acres]

National Nature Reserves within 10 miles of London [map N] [map S]
• Ashstead Common (Surrey) [495 acres]
• Broxbourne Woods (Herts) [590 acres]
• Burnham Beeches (Bucks) [540 acres]
• Chobham Common (Surrey) [1620 acres]
• Swanscombe Skull Site (Kent) [10 acres]

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (map)

The NNR SSSIs
• Richmond Park
• Ruislip Woods
• Old Park Wood
• Croham Hurst
• Farthing Downs & Happy Valley
• Keston And Hayes Commons
• Riddlesdown

The grassy SSSIs
• Bentley Priory
• Bushy Park and Home Park
• Downe Bank and High Elms
• Frays Farm Meadows
• Saltbox Hill
• Syon Park
• Wimbledon Common

The woody SSSIs
• Crofton Woods
• Denham Lock Wood
• Epping Forest
• Hainault Forest
• Hampstead Heath Woods
• Oxleas Woodlands The geological SSSIs
• Abbey Wood
• Elmstead Pit
• Gilbert's Pit
• Harefield Pit
• Harrow Weald
• Hornchurch Cutting
• Wansunt Pit

The birdy SSSIs
• Barn Elms Wetland Centre
• Brent Reservoir
• Chingford Reservoirs
• Kempton Park Reservoirs
• Mid Colne Valley
• Ruxley Gravel Pits
• Walthamstow Reservoirs

The marshy SSSIs
• Ingrebourne Marshes
• Inner Thames Marshes
• Walthamstow Marshes

Local Nature Reserves
There are 154 of these, from Abney Park Cemetery to Yeading Woods. You can see a DEFRA database here, a Wikipedia list here and a map here (the local nature reserves are in blue). The map works outside London too. Tower Hamlets' local nature reserves are Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, Mudchute Park and Ackroyd Drive. Merton has the most local nature reserves (15), followed by Kingston (12), Sutton (11) and Ealing (10). Seven boroughs have only one local nature reserve, and Newham and Kensington & Chelsea have none. London's largest local nature reserve is the Ingrebourne Valley (362 acres) and smallest is Burnt Ash Pond (0.3 acres). 13 reserves are inaccessible to the public and six only open at limited times. Four are islands, four are cemeteries and at least eight are on former railway land. 9% of England's local nature reserves are in London.

posted 07:00 :

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