This is a newish nature reserve in south London, that opened in 2000 on land that was cleared in the 1970s and 1990s alongside a railway line.
A new road was built where the old houses had been in the 1970s, but in the late 1990s, that road was partially built on as well for more housing, and the remainder of the road was landscaped to form the nature reserve and planted with a woodland, artificial pond and some open grass.
It opened to the public in the autumn of 2000.
The pocket park was also to be part of the now-paused Peckham Coal line project, and as part of that project, in 2021, they added the pedestrianised space and decorative entrance planters that now lead to the nature reserve, replacing an old bit of road that was being mainly used as a car park and dumping ground.
A large sign by the entrance explains the sorts of wildlife, animal and plant, that can be found in the park.
Visiting a nature reserve in winter months does mean you don’t see it rioting with plants, but does however let you see further into the site and take in more of a view. The squelching of the mud underfoot on my visit was less appealing, so maybe come back on a dryer day.
There’s a fair bit of seating along the path, and some odd stone lumps protruding in places.
At the eastern end of the linear park is a small pond which could do with topping up, but even in its sunken state is a patch of waterland for the local wildlife. There’s a mini-footbridge across the stream that isn’t needed as the stream is quite short, but it is a nice touch to have.
Although it’s a nature reserve away from the busy parts of town and hence fairly quiet, it’s also next to the railway, so every so often the calm is broken by the sound of a Southern or London Overground train rumbling past on the embankment above.
Which depending on your views about trains, is either delightful or a horrible nuisance.
There’s now a local friends group that looks after the nature reserve, and the neighbouring Cossall Park.
Hi
Great work and Pocket Parks are wonderful and I can see they take time, planning and cash to realise.
I wonder, with all of your experience, is there a gap for identifying, purchasing and wildflower seeding tiny bits of land that may be only a few square metres and inaccessible to both pedestrians and motorised transport…and therefore, hopefully, very cheap.
If this type of project grabs people I wonder whether an on-line identification and information gathering about such bits of land might appeal to many people throughout the country.
Finally, if there was a template method to guide individuals or groups in how to purchase their local bits of land it may seem less daunting and more achievable.
A dream would be a vast patchwork of ‘bits of land’ that could provide habitats for many insects, animals and birds etc., and over time , maybe they would come close to forming connected pathways.
Just a though.
All the best