![Crane Park 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Crane_Park_4.JPG)
Crane Park is a 30 hectare public park next to the
River Crane in western
Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...
. The park north of the river is in the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
, and the south in the
London Borough of Hounslow
The London Borough of Hounslow () is a London borough in West London, England, forming part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 when three smaller borough councils (forming part of the former Middlesex County Council area) amalgamated under ...
.
It is part of The Crane Corridor
Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation
Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI), Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and regionally important geological site (RIGS) are designations used by local authorities in the United Kingdom for sites of substantive local nature ...
, and includes two
Local Nature Reserves,
Crane Park Island
Crane Park Island is a Local Nature Reserve in Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is also part of The Crane Corridor Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. The site is an island in the River Crane, wh ...
and Pevensey Road.
History
![River Crane in Crane Park 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/River_Crane_in_Crane_Park_2.JPG)
The Hounslow Gunpowder Works opened in the late 1760s in what is now the western end of the park. Crane Park Island was created to provide a mill pond for the water to drive the machinery. There were many explosions and the Shot Tower (pictured right) is now thought to have been a windmill for recirculating water to power the mills, rather than a shot tower for making lead shot. The licence to manufacture gunpowder was withdrawn in 1927, and part of the site was sold to
Twickenham Council, which turned it into Crane Park. This opened in 1935, and was inherited by Richmond Council when Twickenham Council was abolished in 1965.
[ The Shot Tower (now officially the Brick Tower) is a Grade II ]listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
Wildlife
The park has large areas of woodland, as well as pasture areas and the river bank, and it also has important industrial archaeology
Industrial archaeology (IA) is the systematic study of material evidence associated with the industrial past. This evidence, collectively referred to as industrial heritage, includes buildings, machinery, artifacts, sites, infrastructure, docu ...
.[ It is managed to encourage wildlife, and ]Marsh frog
The marsh frog (''Pelophylax ridibundus'') is a species of water frog native to Europe and parts of western Asia.
Description
The marsh frog is the largest type of frog in most of its range, with males growing to a size around 100 mm (3.9 ...
s and the scarce water vole breed on the banks of the river.[
]
Access
Although the park borders the London Borough of Hounslow, it is only accessible from Twickenham. There are entrances on Crane Park Road, Ellerman Avenue, Hanworth Road, Mill Road, Great Chertsey Road, Hospital Bridge Road and Meadway. The London Loop
The London Outer Orbital Path — more usually the "London LOOP" — is a 150-mile (242 km) signed walk along public footpaths, and through parks, woods and fields around the edge of Outer London, England, described as "the M25 ...
long-distance footpath goes through the park.[
]
References
{{LB Richmond, state=collapsed
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Hounslow
Nature reserves in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Nature reserves in the London Borough of Hounslow