I was delighted to spend some time at Spring Park today, which is a 20-hectare / 50 acre area of public open space owned by the City of London Corporation and run as a charity which falls under the remit of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee. Geographically, this land sits in the London Borough of Bromley, close to the Croydon border.
It is home to one of the best examples of ancient woodland in Greater London, as well as neutral grassland and coppice woodland. Spring Park is designated a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) owing to its ancient woodland and community of woodland flora. Specifically, Spring Park holds an important population of small-leaved lime, a nationally rare tree species and indicator of undisturbed ancient woodland. Its natural and cultural heritage are of national importance, the legacy of centuries of interaction between people and the environment.
The Superintendent of the Commons, Head Ranger of Spring Park and their teams kindly led the Deputy Chairman and I on a tour of the site to see some of the conservation work they have been doing to help maintain the site and prolong the life of the trees. We saw some great hazel coppices, which are managed on a 4-year cycle. The hazel which is removed has been replanted as hedgerows around the site to create nature corridors and improve the biodiversity of the site.
The team, ably supported by some loyal volunteers, have also been helping create some new springs, to help manage the water through the woodland to reduce muddy paths and support the ponds on site, which further help its biodiversity value.
As well as the bluebells on site being in full bloom, there were also a range of other flowers to enjoy, including a carpet of anemone nemorosa, which grows best in dappled shade in moist, humus-rich soil.
The rich mix of wild flowers was being enjoyed by many early pollinators and it was particularly interesting to observe so many butterflies enjoying the sites delights.
One of our Ranger team also showed us some of the heritage asset renovation work which had taken place with a memorial water fountain on site, which pumps water from the fresh water spring.
The fountain was dedicated to Margaret Anderson Mandrew, who lived at Wickham House from 1881 to 1935. This Victorian feature also had a section at the back to allow dogs to access water too.
Whilst on site, I also met with Thomas Turrell AM, the Conservative Party Spokesman for the Environment at the Greater London Authority and Member for Bromley, alongside Councillor Will Rowlands, Bromley Council’s Environment Cabinet Member.
We had some really productive conservations about our 10-year management plans for the site, the Natural Environment Charities Review and about future partnership working at Officer, Member and volunteer levels.
My thanks to all the staff and volunteers who work so hard to maintain this important green space in South London for so many people to enjoy and for nature to thrive.
For those of you who haven’t yet visited Spring Park and would like to do so, you can find everything you need to know here.
You can also subscribe to our regular newsletter on West Wickham and Spring Park here.
