Railway Fields

Railway Fields is a Local Nature Reserve^[1][2] and a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade I,^[3] in Harringay the London Borough of Haringey. About one hectare in area, it was a railway goods yard until 1967.

Habitat, flora and fauna

Railway Fields from the entrance

Much of the site is wooded with open birch woodland running along part of the boundary with the railway. Denser woodland and scrub occupies much of the rest of the site. There are areas of grassland and a small pond. At the centre of the reserve a wooden cabin provides an office and a classroom.

Over 200 species of wild flowers have been recorded. This includes the unique Haringey Knotweed discovered in 1987, a cross between the Japanese Knotweed and the Russian vine. More than sixty species of birds have been observed since Railway Fields opened.

History

A group of children learning about wildlife at the pond

The area that is now the Railway Fields nature reserve was established as a goods yard on the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway in 1868. It seems likely that the main use of the goods yard was for coal.^[4]

Just under 100 years later, in 1967, the yard was closed. In 1975 it was acquired by Haringey Council for a community centre for Haringey Social Services. In 1986 it was opened as a nature park and used as an educational nature reserve. In 1990 it was declared a statutory local nature reserve.

References

External links

• Harringay online - Website for Harringay residents
• Photo series by Henry Jacobs on Smug Mug
• The Conservation Volunteers

Coordinates: 51°34′36″N 0°06′05″W / 51.576744°N 0.101419°W / 51.576744; -0.101419

Parks and open spaces in London
Royal parks	Bushy Green Greenwich Hyde Kensington Regent's Richmond St James's
Large urban parks	Alexandra Arnos Barking Barra Hall Battersea Blackheath Brockwell Burgess Clissold Crystal Palace Dulwich Enfield Town Finsbury Forster Memorial Hampstead Heath Hanworth Holland Mayesbrook Mountsfield Old Deer Parsloes Primrose Hill Pymmes Queen's Park Ravenscourt Ruskin Southwark Valentines Victoria Wandsworth Wanstead West Ham Wimbledon
Country parks	Bayhurst Wood Bedfont Lakes Belhus Woods Eastbrookend Fairlop Waters Fryent Hainault Forest Havering High Elms Hornchurch Lee Valley South Norwood Stanmore Stockley Trent
Commons	Barnes Blackheath Bostall Heath Clapham Ealing East Sheen Hackney Marsh Hainault Forest Ham Hampstead Heath Hayes Keston Mitcham Monken Hadley Peckham Rye Plumstead Stanmore Streatham Tooting Tylers Wandsworth Wimbledon and Putney Winn's Woolwich Wormwood Scrubs
Marshes & Wetlands	Aveley Crayford Erith Hackney Hornchurch Ickenham Ingrebourne Leyton Rainham Tottenham Walthamstow Wennington Woodberry Wetlands WWT London Wetland Centre
Woodland	Bostall Coldfall Copse Dulwich Epping Forest Grangewood Park Highgate Lesnes Abbey Mad Bess Old Park Oxleas Park Petts Queen's Russia Dock Sydenham Hill
House gardens	Belair Park Boston Manor Park Broomfield House Cannizaro Park Chiswick House Danson Park Grovelands Park Grove Park Gunnersbury Park Hampton Court Park Hillingdon Court Kenwood House Langtons Manor House Gardens Marble Hill Park Morden Hall Park Morden Park Osterley Park Syon House Valence House Museum Walpole Park
Entry-fee charging	Kew Gardens London Wetland Centre
Community gardens	Phoenix Garden Calthorpe Project