Lamplighters Marsh () is a
public open space and
local nature reserve near
Shirehampton in the city of
Bristol,
England. It is a narrow strip of land between the railway line which connects Bristol to
Avonmouth, and the
River Avon.
Flora and fauna
Lamplighter's Marsh has two main types of vegetation: an area of
marsh, which contains a varied plant community, including
water parsnip Water parsnip is a common name given to a number of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, including those from the Berula and Sium genera.
*Berula
:*''Berula erecta'', cutleaf water parsnip or water parsnip
*Sium
:*''Sium latifolium'', greater w ...
and
wild celery Wild celery is a common name for several plants. It can refer to:
* Wild growing forms of celery, ''Apium graveolens''
* ''Angelica archangelica'', cultivated as a vegetable and medicinal plant
* Lovage, ''Levisticum officinale'', sometimes known a ...
, and an area of
wasteland which is also botanically notable, with species including
narrow-leaved everlasting-pea
''Lathyrus sylvestris'', the flat pea or narrow-leaved everlasting-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is native to parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
The narrow-leaved everlasting-pea forms a mat of her ...
.
The Severn Way footpath and cycleway sits alongside the river, passing through Lamplighter’s Marsh where the path is called the "yellow brick road".
Viper’s bugloss,
moth mullein and
hornet moth are among the scarce and notable species recorded at the site. The presence of the grass
sea couch
''Elymus pungens'', the sea couch grass, is a species of grass of the genus ''Elymus (plant), Elymus'' in the family Poaceae. It is a common grass species native to Europe and Asia. ''Elymus pungens'' is typically found in sandy, and saline envir ...
are a sign of the influence of the nearby
Severn Estuary.
Bee orchids grow in the area of grassland now known as the Daisy Field lying between the railway and the Portway. Local birdwatchers have recorded a number of species including
common swift,
Eurasian siskin,
common redshank,
Eurasian curlew,
Eurasian sparrowhawk
The Eurasian sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nisus''), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred ...
,
great cormorant and
goldcrest.
The site is designed a
Site of Nature Conservation Interest and a
Local Nature Reserve.
History
Lamplighter's Marsh was utilised as grazing marsh up to the modern era. In the 18th century the small, brick-making village of West Town took up part of the site, it has gone now but is recalled in the name of the West Town Road. When the First World War broke out the British Army established a remount Depot at Shirehampton. The depot imported, trained and sent out horses on active service with the army and it was very large, extending from Station Road all the way to the Portway roundabout, including the area now known as the Daisy Field. In the Second World War Lamplighter's Marsh was used to tether
barrage balloon
A barrage balloon is a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe collision risk to aircraft, making the attacker's approach more difficult. Early barra ...
s which were to protect the nearby docks from bombing by the
Luftwaffe and some of the concrete blocks used to anchor these balloons are still on the site. In the post-war years some of Lamplighter's Marsh became a landfill site and when this closed in 1976 the regeneration of the area started.
[
]
References
{{Culture in Bristol
Parks and open spaces in Bristol