Bedfont Lakes Country Park is a 72.5-hectare[1] Local Nature Reserve[2][3] and Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation in Bedfont in the London Borough of Hounslow.[4][5]
The land had been Fawn's Manor Farm, and was owned by the Duke of St Albans until it was purchased by William Sherborn in 1780. Until the 1920s it supplied London with produce, and gravel extraction took place from the 1860s. From the 1950s until 1973 it was used as a landfill site for domestic and industrial waste, and polluted lakes remained after it was closed. In 1988 The Rutland Group acquired Bedfont Lakes and, working with Hounslow Council, secured the development of the area as a country park as a planning condition for development of the surrounding area.[1]
Rutland managed the park for three years before donating it to the people of South West London, together with an endowment fund to maintain the parklands in perpetuity. In 2000 Bedfont Lakes received nature reserve status, winning multiple awards nationally and regionally including the Millennium Marque and the London in Bloom Wildflower and Environment Trophy.
The site has lakes, wetlands, wildflower meadows and woodland. There are over 350 species of plants, including field scabious, lady's bedstraw and black poplar. There are also 156 species of birds, 124 of moths, 97 of fungi and 20 mammals.[2][6]
There are car parks in Bedfont Road and Clockhouse Lane.[7]
Gallery edit
-
North Lake with Cisco Systems office at Bedfont Lakes Business Park in the background -
View across the park. The chimney of HM Prison Feltham is visible to the right -
Dog walking area -
There are multiple fishing lakes in the park -
Hill topped by Millennium Monolith showing distances to various landmarks -
The park is home to a wide variety of plants
References edit
- ^ a b "Bedfont Lakes Country Park". London Parks and Gardens Trust. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Bedfont Lakes Country Park". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 1 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ "Map of Bedfont Lakes Country Park". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ "Bedfont Lakes Country Park and Princes Lake". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2013. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ "iGiGL data portal (map)". Greenspace Information for Greater London. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ "Bedfont Lakes". London Borough of Hounslow. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ "Visit us". London Borough of Hounslow. Archived from the original on 17 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.