Ham Lands

Ham Lands is a 72-hectare Local Nature Reserve and Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation in Ham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The area is very popular with walkers, nature lovers, and horse-riders. There is an unofficial (non Council) off-road BMX track near Teddington Lock.^[1]^[2]

The site is a large area of grassland and scrub bordering the River Thames. The other boundary is mostly formed by Riverside Drive. The area is divided into two sections by the lagoon and Thames Young Mariners.

The land belonged to the Earl of Dysart until the nineteenth century. In 1904 it was leased by the Ham River Grit Co. Ltd for excavation of sand and ballast. They constructed a wharf and processing plant where barges loaded. A canal was constructed through the towpath in the 1920s to create an internal loading lagoon, now the Thames Young Mariners. The gravel pits were then backfilled with soil from different areas of London, creating a variety of habitats which attract many bird and butterfly species. By the 1960s tipping was complete and the Wates estate built along Riverside Drive.^[3]

The construction of Teddington Lock in 1904, now the limit of the tidal Thames, resulted in the raising of the towpath while the in-filled area was above the general level of flooding. The area north of Thames Young Mariners is still floodable. The flood-meadows have a wide range of wild flowers^[2]^[4] and there are many plants which are rare in London.^[1] Some of the more unusual plants found include meadow saxifrage, hemlock water-dropwort, yellow vetchling, hoary cinquefoil/silver cinquefoil, dittander/pepperwort, bee orchid, pyramidal orchid.

Plans to build on the former gravel pits were finally abandoned by the Council in 1983. A survey of the flora was carried out by Nigel Hepper in 1985 and a report published in 1987 which recognised eight zones.^[3]

Ham Lands South
View of Richmond Hill
Ham Lands north
Bee orchid
Pyramidal Orchid

References

^ ^a ^b "Ham Lands". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Ham Lands". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
^ ^a ^b Davis, G.E.; Latham, E. (1987). Ham lands. A guide to nature conservation. London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
^ "Map of Ham Lands". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 23 January 2014.

External links

Friends of Ham Lands

Official website

Species checklist

Concise Check-list of Vascular Plants

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

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Parks, open spaces and nature reserves in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

v t e Local nature reserves in Greater London
Barking and Dagenham	Beam Valley Beam Valley (Environment Agency) Dagenham Village Churchyard Eastbrookend Country Park Mayesbrook Park South Parsloes Park Squatts Ripple Nature Reserve Scrattons Ecopark and extension The Chase - Barking
Barnet	Big Wood and Little Wood Brent Reservoir/Welsh Harp Coppett's Wood and Scrublands Glebelands Moat Mount Open Space Oak Hill Wood Rowley Green Common Scratchwood Totteridge Fields
Bexley	Crossness Danson Park Bog Garden, Welling Foots Cray Meadows Lesnes Abbey Woods
Brent	Brent Reservoir/Welsh Harp Fryent Country Park Masons Field
Bromley	High Elms Jubilee Country Park Scadbury Park
Camden	Adelaide Belsize Wood Camley Street Natural Park Westbere Copse
Croydon	Bramley Bank Foxley Wood Hutchinson's Bank Selsdon Wood South Norwood Country Park
Ealing	Blondin Park Fox Wood Grove Farm Gunnersbury Triangle Islip Manor Meadows Litten Long Wood Northolt Manor Perivale Wood
Enfield	Covert Way
Greenwich	Gilbert's Pit Maryon Park Maryon Wilson Park Oxleas/Shooters Hill Woodlands Sutcliffe Park The Tarn
Hackney	Abney Park Cemetery Springfield Park
Hammersmith and Fulham	Wormwood Scrubs
Haringey	Alexandra Park Coldfall Wood Parkland Walk Queen's Wood Railway Fields
Harrow	Bentley Priory Stanmore Common Stanmore Country Park
Havering	Bedford's Park Cranham Brickfields Cranham Marsh Ingrebourne Valley Rainham Marshes The Chase - Havering The Manor
Hillingdon	Denham Country Park Frays Valley Gutteridge Wood and Meadows (Yeading Woods) Ruislip Local Nature Reserve Ten Acre Wood Yeading Brook Meadows
Hounslow	Bedfont Lakes Country Park Chiswick Eyot Cranebank Duke's Hollow Gunnersbury Triangle Hounslow Heath Isleworth Ait Kempton Pevensey Road
Islington	Barnsbury Wood Gillespie Park Parkland Walk
Kingston upon Thames	Bonesgate Open Space Castle Hill Coombe Hill Wood Edith Gardens Elmbridge Open Space Ham Lands Hogsmill River Park Jubilee Wood Raeburn Open Space Rose Walk Southwood Open Space Tolworth Court Farm Fields The Wood and Richard Jefferies Bird Sanctuary
Lambeth	Streatham Common
Lewisham	Beckenham Place Park Brookmill Road Burnt Ash Pond Dacres Wood Downham Woodland Walk Grove Park Nature Reserve Sue Godfrey Nature Park
Merton	Bennett's Hole Cannon Hill Common Cherry Wood Cranmer Green Derwent Floodwash Fishpond Wood and Beverley Meads Lower Wandle Merton Park Green Walks Morden Park Myrna Close Oakleigh Way Pyl Brook Ravensbury Park Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Wood Wandle Meadow Nature Park
Redbridge	Hainault Lodge
Richmond upon Thames	Barnes Common Crane Park Island Ham Common Ham Lands Lonsdale Road Reservoir (Leg of Mutton Reservoir) Oak Avenue, Hampton
Southwark	Dulwich Upper Wood Lavender Pond Nunhead Cemetery One Tree Hill Sydenham Hill Wood and Fern Bank
Sutton	Anton Crescent Wetland Belmont Pastures Cuddington Meadows Devonshire Avenue Nature Area Roundshaw Downs Ruffett and Big Woods Spencer Road Wetlands Sutton Ecology Centre Grounds The Spinney, Carshalton Wandle Valley Wetland Wilderness Island
Tower Hamlets	Ackroyd Drive Greenlink Mudchute Park and Farm Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park
Waltham Forest	Ainslie Wood
Wandsworth	Battersea Park Nature Areas
Westminster	St. John's Wood Church Grounds