Cows grazing on Walthamstow Marsh
Introduction
This Green Flag Award site includes Walthamstow Marsh Nature Reserve as well as Coppermill Fields and Leyton Marsh. The Nature Reserve is a remnant of London’s once widespread river valley grasslands and is especially important for its plant and insect life containing a national rarity in Creeping Marshwort.
The area is served by a good network of paths and has accompanying interpretation. In the summer parts of the marsh are grazed by a small herd of old breed cattle. The cattle help to conserve the natural history of the marsh by grazing down the more aggressive plants. The Waterworks Visitor Centre and Nature Reserve are nearby and have a café and toilets.
Up-and-coming Developments
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2 New interpretation panels are being produced, to be installed by the Marina and by Kings Head Bridge
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Some new notice boards have been ordered for the marshes for promoting local community events
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Plans are being drawn up to re-landscape the area between the Ice Centre and Kings Head Bridge.
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A tar-spray-chip cycle path is also planned along the southern edge of Leyton Marsh to link Kings HeadBridge and the paths to the nearby Lee Valley Riding Centre
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The Countryside Live schools event is to be held on Leyton Marsh again in September
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3 new seats and 3 new dog bins are also due to be installed
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Waltham Forest are planning to build a path alongside Coppermill Fields so that pedestrians can walk to the marshes in greater safety.
July 2008 update
The appearance of the cattle has been temporarily delayed whilst our farming staff enjoy a well-earned holiday. The Summer Birds Self-guided Trail has now been updated and the new Butterflies and Dragonflies Self-guided Trail is available on the website below. These should be available on a higher quality A3 paper from the Waterworks Centre later this month.
A third illegal rave at the back of Coppermill Fields took place in late June. Please let us know if you come across one of these as they are damaging the wildlife and are causing some annoyance to local users of the marshes.
4 containers belonging to the Ice Centre have now been moved to a less conspicuous position. We’ll also soon be tidying up the fence line at the back of the car park.
Wildlife Monitoring in 2008
12th May: Large Red Damselfly seen, the first for 2 or 3 years.
27th May: Our only plant of ragged-robin is still hanging on at South Marsh
28th May: The Bee Orchids have started flowering at the back of Coppermill Fields. Slender Thistle is also flowering now.
May: The BAP bumblebee Bombus humilis was discovered on the marshes.
June: Our Flowering-rush population in Bombcrater Pond has increased to over 100, a best ever total thanks to the annual efforts of our volunteers in removing competing vegetation.
June: We found 8 Bee Orchids this year. Unfortunately 5 of them did get squashed by the 3rd rave party.
7th July: We have about 8 flowering Brookweed plants so far this year. This plant is found nowhere else in Essex and at only one other place in London.
User Forum
A meeting was held in June 2008 for users of Waterworks Nature Reserve, Walthamstow Marshes and Middlesex Filter Beds, with the aim of starting a user forum. During the meeting all attendants completed a
Spaceshaper questionnaire, which measures the quality of a public space, based on the perceptions of users and those that work there – to see the report please
click here.
Self Guided Trail
Why not take a wonder through the nature reserves on the Lea Bridge Road with the help of our guided trail maps, there's one for summer birds and one for butterflies and dragonflies.
Click here to download a pdf of our Self Guided Trail - Summer Birds.
Click here to download a pdf of our Self Guided Trail - Butterflies and Dragonflies