diamond geezer

 Wednesday, July 13, 2022

UNVISITED LONDON
TQ1592: Bentley Priory Nature Reserve
(Harrow)

As with most of these untrodden 1km×1km grid squares, I had very nearly visited TQ1592 but not quite. I'd looked round the museum at Bentley Priory, the home of Battle of Britain Fighter Command, but on the wrong side of a serious security fence. I'd ridden the 258 and H12 buses whose routes skirt close but don't quite enter. And I'd walked section 15 of the London Loop passes which within 30 metres as it traverses the upper slopes of the local nature reserve. But I'd never stepped down to explore that nature reserve, which it turns out is worthy of a blogpost all of its own because it's brilliant, so today I'm pleased to put that right.

The Bentley Priory Nature Trail

Bentley Priory sits at the highest point of the county of Middlesex. The mansion was designed by Sir John Soane on behalf of the Marquis of Abercorn, and its most famous resident was Queen Adelaide, widow of King William IV, who essentially came here to die. The estate was broken up in 1926 with the Air Ministry taking the house and much of the remaining land sold to a syndicate of housebuilders, but 90 acres was purchased for use as a public park and remains under the control of Harrow council. It's no kickabout space, more an extraordinary mix of ancient woodland, pasture, scrub, species-rich grassland, wetland and an actual deer park, and the best way to explore it is to follow the nature trail.



It really is, the Harrow Nature Conservation Forum have done an excellent job of creating a 25-stop circuit with full backup notes. And although paper versions of the leaflet appear to have run out, you can always download a copy here, grab just the text here or do what I did and dive in when you spot a QR code on a post. You only need to do that once, each page then clicks through to the next in a reassuringly retro manner, and I absolutely would not have got as much out of my hour-long walk had I walked around blind.



The trail starts in Old Lodge Meadow, a short walk from Stanmore high street, as suburbia suddenly gives way to Green Belt. At this time of year you might spot cowpats and a small herd of horned cattle, though not in a marauding way, as you start the gentle climb. The trail is extremely good at identifying the trees in the woodland ahead, which is great because you'd never realise you were passing a rare wild service tree otherwise. Likewise you'd be unlikely to notice the boundary ditch between the parishes of Harrow Weald and Great Stanmore, or the minor embankment to your left which it turns out is a raised causeway created so that the Marquis of Abercorn could ride around his park without getting muddy. Downloading the trail has already proved its worth.



Ahead is Heriots Wood which is packed with hornbeam, plus a long fence that segregates a private deer park from the remainder of the reserve. The herd is descended from the marquis's originals and numbers about 20 fallow deer, so I was lucky to spot several of them in the nearest corner taking shade from the heat. They appreciate carrots and apples, apparently, but some visitors are less nutritionally savvy so have had to be warned off feeding them carbs via a message scribbled on cardboard and attached to the fence.



According to the trail notes "the majestic oak tree on the right of the path is a turkey oak (Quercus cerris)", except not any more it isn't because it's toppled over with all its roots exposed. Sometimes nature decays fast. I was more impressed by the resilience of the Bentley Priory Nature Reserve information board at the top of the hill because it's still entirely legible despite having an 081 number at the bottom in case you want further information from the Warden. The trail notes point out you can see 30 miles to Box Hill and Leith Hill from up here, and blimey you just about can, although the best skyline views are from Ron and Vera's bench much further along the upper Loop path.



Instead the trail plunges almost straight back down the slope, this time following a sweep of grassland called The Greensward rather than a metalled path. It get ruinously muddy later in the year, so we're told, but that's totally not an issue during the current summer drought. Also the underlying geology changes as we descend, which means looking out for ragwort and devils-bit scabious on the pebbly acid upland, then switching to bugle and lesser stitchwort on the lower clay soil. Wherever you go there always seems to be another fence segregating one part of the reserve from another, and the lakeside beneath the pine grove is no different. Good luck getting through the 'squeeze stile' if you're rotund of waist.



Summerhouse Lake isn't natural, it was created for the marquis by damming the Stanburn, an otherwise insignificant stream. Around its perimeter the trail alerts you to a silt trap, the remains of two ice houses and a flyway for bats. I never spotted the island it said was here, I suspect because it was too brambled over, so wasn't able to imagine Sir Walter Scott sitting mid-lake in a gazebo while writing his epic poem Marmion. But I was wowed by The Master Oak, supposedly the oldest in Middlesex, which somehow avoided being chopped down to make beams or ships' timbers and whose mighty trunk has a 9 metre circumference.



The end of the trail follows the Stanburn as it weaves round gnarled roots through what's currently parched clay. The channel is crossed at post 22 where the trail makes a special effort to point out the difference between a pendunculate oak and a sessile oak (it's all in the leaves). 'This woodland is lovely in spring' isn't necessarily something you want to read in July, but at least you don't need to bring your wellies. And eventually a boardwalk leads you back to Old Lodge Meadow, where I recommend taking a closer look at Boot Pond because that's where I finally disturbed a heron.



What an excellent circuit that was, and all the better for having being nudged into looking more carefully on the way round.

🟨=1407, 🟩=40, 🟦=6, 🟥=10


<< click for Newer posts

click for Older Posts >>


click to return to the main page


...or read more in my monthly archives
Jan24  Feb24  Mar24  Apr24  May24  Jun24  Jul24  Aug24  Sep24  Oct24  Nov24
Jan23  Feb23  Mar23  Apr23  May23  Jun23  Jul23  Aug23  Sep23  Oct23  Nov23  Dec23
Jan22  Feb22  Mar22  Apr22  May22  Jun22  Jul22  Aug22  Sep22  Oct22  Nov22  Dec22
Jan21  Feb21  Mar21  Apr21  May21  Jun21  Jul21  Aug21  Sep21  Oct21  Nov21  Dec21
Jan20  Feb20  Mar20  Apr20  May20  Jun20  Jul20  Aug20  Sep20  Oct20  Nov20  Dec20
Jan19  Feb19  Mar19  Apr19  May19  Jun19  Jul19  Aug19  Sep19  Oct19  Nov19  Dec19
Jan18  Feb18  Mar18  Apr18  May18  Jun18  Jul18  Aug18  Sep18  Oct18  Nov18  Dec18
Jan17  Feb17  Mar17  Apr17  May17  Jun17  Jul17  Aug17  Sep17  Oct17  Nov17  Dec17
Jan16  Feb16  Mar16  Apr16  May16  Jun16  Jul16  Aug16  Sep16  Oct16  Nov16  Dec16
Jan15  Feb15  Mar15  Apr15  May15  Jun15  Jul15  Aug15  Sep15  Oct15  Nov15  Dec15
Jan14  Feb14  Mar14  Apr14  May14  Jun14  Jul14  Aug14  Sep14  Oct14  Nov14  Dec14
Jan13  Feb13  Mar13  Apr13  May13  Jun13  Jul13  Aug13  Sep13  Oct13  Nov13  Dec13
Jan12  Feb12  Mar12  Apr12  May12  Jun12  Jul12  Aug12  Sep12  Oct12  Nov12  Dec12
Jan11  Feb11  Mar11  Apr11  May11  Jun11  Jul11  Aug11  Sep11  Oct11  Nov11  Dec11
Jan10  Feb10  Mar10  Apr10  May10  Jun10  Jul10  Aug10  Sep10  Oct10  Nov10  Dec10 
Jan09  Feb09  Mar09  Apr09  May09  Jun09  Jul09  Aug09  Sep09  Oct09  Nov09  Dec09
Jan08  Feb08  Mar08  Apr08  May08  Jun08  Jul08  Aug08  Sep08  Oct08  Nov08  Dec08
Jan07  Feb07  Mar07  Apr07  May07  Jun07  Jul07  Aug07  Sep07  Oct07  Nov07  Dec07
Jan06  Feb06  Mar06  Apr06  May06  Jun06  Jul06  Aug06  Sep06  Oct06  Nov06  Dec06
Jan05  Feb05  Mar05  Apr05  May05  Jun05  Jul05  Aug05  Sep05  Oct05  Nov05  Dec05
Jan04  Feb04  Mar04  Apr04  May04  Jun04  Jul04  Aug04  Sep04  Oct04  Nov04  Dec04
Jan03  Feb03  Mar03  Apr03  May03  Jun03  Jul03  Aug03  Sep03  Oct03  Nov03  Dec03
 Jan02  Feb02  Mar02  Apr02  May02  Jun02  Jul02 Aug02  Sep02  Oct02  Nov02  Dec02 

jack of diamonds
Life viewed from London E3

» email me
» follow me on twitter
» follow the blog on Twitter
» follow the blog on RSS

» my flickr photostream

twenty blogs
our bow
arseblog
ian visits
londonist
broken tv
blue witch
on london
the great wen
edith's streets
spitalfields life
linkmachinego
round the island
wanstead meteo
christopher fowler
the greenwich wire
bus and train user
ruth's coastal walk
round the rails we go
london reconnections
from the murky depths

quick reference features
Things to do in Outer London
Things to do outside London
London's waymarked walks
Inner London toilet map
20 years of blog series
The DG Tour of Britain
London's most...

read the archive
Nov24  Oct24  Sep24
Aug24  Jul24  Jun24  May24
Apr24  Mar24  Feb24  Jan24
Dec23  Nov23  Oct23  Sep23
Aug23  Jul23  Jun23  May23
Apr23  Mar23  Feb23  Jan23
Dec22  Nov22  Oct22  Sep22
Aug22  Jul22  Jun22  May22
Apr22  Mar22  Feb22  Jan22
Dec21  Nov21  Oct21  Sep21
Aug21  Jul21  Jun21  May21
Apr21  Mar21  Feb21  Jan21
Dec20  Nov20  Oct20  Sep20
Aug20  Jul20  Jun20  May20
Apr20  Mar20  Feb20  Jan20
Dec19  Nov19  Oct19  Sep19
Aug19  Jul19  Jun19  May19
Apr19  Mar19  Feb19  Jan19
Dec18  Nov18  Oct18  Sep18
Aug18  Jul18  Jun18  May18
Apr18  Mar18  Feb18  Jan18
Dec17  Nov17  Oct17  Sep17
Aug17  Jul17  Jun17  May17
Apr17  Mar17  Feb17  Jan17
Dec16  Nov16  Oct16  Sep16
Aug16  Jul16  Jun16  May16
Apr16  Mar16  Feb16  Jan16
Dec15  Nov15  Oct15  Sep15
Aug15  Jul15  Jun15  May15
Apr15  Mar15  Feb15  Jan15
Dec14  Nov14  Oct14  Sep14
Aug14  Jul14  Jun14  May14
Apr14  Mar14  Feb14  Jan14
Dec13  Nov13  Oct13  Sep13
Aug13  Jul13  Jun13  May13
Apr13  Mar13  Feb13  Jan13
Dec12  Nov12  Oct12  Sep12
Aug12  Jul12  Jun12  May12
Apr12  Mar12  Feb12  Jan12
Dec11  Nov11  Oct11  Sep11
Aug11  Jul11  Jun11  May11
Apr11  Mar11  Feb11  Jan11
Dec10  Nov10  Oct10  Sep10
Aug10  Jul10  Jun10  May10
Apr10  Mar10  Feb10  Jan10
Dec09  Nov09  Oct09  Sep09
Aug09  Jul09  Jun09  May09
Apr09  Mar09  Feb09  Jan09
Dec08  Nov08  Oct08  Sep08
Aug08  Jul08  Jun08  May08
Apr08  Mar08  Feb08  Jan08
Dec07  Nov07  Oct07  Sep07
Aug07  Jul07  Jun07  May07
Apr07  Mar07  Feb07  Jan07
Dec06  Nov06  Oct06  Sep06
Aug06  Jul06  Jun06  May06
Apr06  Mar06  Feb06  Jan06
Dec05  Nov05  Oct05  Sep05
Aug05  Jul05  Jun05  May05
Apr05  Mar05  Feb05  Jan05
Dec04  Nov04  Oct04  Sep04
Aug04  Jul04  Jun04  May04
Apr04  Mar04  Feb04  Jan04
Dec03  Nov03  Oct03  Sep03
Aug03  Jul03  Jun03  May03
Apr03  Mar03  Feb03  Jan03
Dec02  Nov02  Oct02  Sep02
back to main page

the diamond geezer index
2023 2022
2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
2011 2010 2009 2008 2007
2006 2005 2004 2003 2002

my special London features
a-z of london museums
E3 - local history month
greenwich meridian (N)
greenwich meridian (S)
the real eastenders
london's lost rivers
olympic park 2007
great british roads
oranges & lemons
random boroughs
bow road station
high street 2012
river westbourne
trafalgar square
capital numbers
east london line
lea valley walk
olympics 2005
regent's canal
square routes
silver jubilee
unlost rivers
cube routes
Herbert Dip
metro-land
capital ring
river fleet
piccadilly
bakerloo

ten of my favourite posts
the seven ages of blog
my new Z470xi mobile
five equations of blog
the dome of doom
chemical attraction
quality & risk
london 2102
single life
boredom
april fool

ten sets of lovely photos
my "most interesting" photos
london 2012 olympic zone
harris and the hebrides
betjeman's metro-land
marking the meridian
tracing the river fleet
london's lost rivers
inside the gherkin
seven sisters
iceland

just surfed in?
here's where to find...
diamond geezers
flash mob #1  #2  #3  #4
ben schott's miscellany
london underground
watch with mother
cigarette warnings
digital time delay
wheelie suitcases
war of the worlds
transit of venus
top of the pops
old buckenham
ladybird books
acorn antiques
digital watches
outer hebrides
olympics 2012
school dinners
pet shop boys
west wycombe
bletchley park
george orwell
big breakfast
clapton pond
san francisco
thunderbirds
routemaster
children's tv
east enders
trunk roads
amsterdam
little britain
credit cards
jury service
big brother
jubilee line
number 1s
titan arum
typewriters
doctor who
coronation
comments
blue peter
matchgirls
hurricanes
buzzwords
brookside
monopoly
peter pan
starbucks
feng shui
leap year
manbags
bbc three
vision on
piccadilly
meridian
concorde
wembley
islington
ID cards
bedtime
freeview
beckton
blogads
eclipses
letraset
arsenal
sitcoms
gherkin
calories
everest
muffins
sudoku
camilla
london
ceefax
robbie
becks
dome
BBC2
paris
lotto
118
itv