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Rowley Green Common is a six hectare Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Importance Metropolitan for Nature Conservation in
Rowley Green Common, London's Heathland HeritageRowley Green Common
on the VisitWoods website
Rowley Green Common is a six hectare Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Importance Metropolitan for Nature Conservation in Arkley
Arkley is an area of north London, England, within the London Borough of Barnet. It is located north-northwest of Charing Cross.
It consists of a long village strung out between Barnet and Stirling Corner, roughly centred on the "Gate" pub, ...
, north London. It is owned by the London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet () is a suburban London boroughs, London borough in North London. The borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It forms part of Outer London and is the largest ...
. It is also registered common land.
It is mainly woodland and heathland, although the most important habitat is the peat bog, one of very few left in London. This hosts star sedge, which is rare in London. The site has hedges at least three hundred years old, and a large pond is also of botanical interest.
It was once part of Shenleybury Manor in the parish of Shenley, Hertfordshire
Shenley is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, between Barnet and St Albans. The village is located 14 miles from Central London.
History
The history of Shenley stretches back a thousand years or more – it is mentioned in ...
. The site has a long history of use. Gravel was once dug on it and this led to the formation of ponds and bog hollows. Cattle were grazed on it until the 1940s and the army used it for manoeuvres during the Second World War. Rowley Green was obtained as public open space in 1934 when Barnet Urban District Council bought the land from the Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...
. It was declared a Local Nature Reserve by the London Borough of Barnet in 1991, the first site in the borough to gain this status.''Rowley Green Common'', leaflet produced by the London Borough of Barnet and wildlife trusts.
Access is from Rowley Lane, next to Rowley Green Farm.
See also
*Barnet parks and open spaces
The London Borough of Barnet, located on the northern periphery of London and having much of the area within its boundaries in the Metropolitan Green Belt, has many parks and open spaces. In addition there are large areas taken over by cemeteries ...
* Nature reserves in Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet, on the northern outskirts of London, is mainly residential, but it has large areas of green space and farmland. The spread of suburban development into the countryside was halted by the designation of a statutory Gr ...
Footnotes
External links
Rowley Green Common, London's Heathland Heritage
on the VisitWoods website
Further reading
* {{Coord, 51.6502, -0.2433, type:landmark_region:GB-BNE, display=title Local nature reserves in Greater London Nature reserves in the London Borough of Barnet Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Barnet Common land in London London Wildlife Trust Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust reserves Arkley