WWT London Wetland Centre

Last updated

WWT London Wetland Centre
Site of Special Scientific Interest
London Wetland Centre Building, Barnes, UK - Diliff.jpg
The entrance to the London Wetland Centre Visitors Centre and the statue of Peter Scott by Nicola Godden on the left
Location Greater London
Grid reference TQ 228770
InterestBiological
Area29.9 hectares
Notification 2002
Location map Magic Map

WWT London Wetland Centre is a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in the Barnes area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest London, England, by Barn Elms. The site is formed of four disused Victorian reservoirs tucked into a loop in the Thames.

Contents

The centre [1] first opened in 2000, and in 2002 an area of 29.9 hectares was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest as the Barn Elms Wetland Centre. [2]

The centre occupies more than 100 acres (40 hectares) of land which was formerly occupied by several small reservoirs. These were converted into a wide range of wetland features and habitats before the centre opened in May 2000. It was the first urban project of its kind in the United Kingdom.

Many wild birds which have now made their home in the centre cannot be found anywhere else in London, and there are nationally significant numbers of gadwall and northern shoveler. Other wild birds include Eurasian bittern, northern pintail, northern lapwing, water rail, ring-necked parakeet, Eurasian sparrowhawk, sand martin, common kingfisher, little grebe and great crested grebe. The centre also holds a collection of captive wildfowl.

It is host to regular lectures and events concerned with preserving Britain's wetland animals and was featured on the BBC television programme Seven Natural Wonders in 2005 as one of the wonders of the London area, with a focus on the region's parakeets, in an episode presented by Bill Oddie. The site contains a large visitors' building which is occasionally used as a wedding venue.

In 2012 WWT London Wetland Centre was voted Britain's Favourite Nature Reserve in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards. The site received 190,206 visitors during 2019. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnes, London</span> Area of south-west London, England

Barnes is a district in south London, England, part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It takes up the extreme north-east of the borough, and as such is the closest part of the borough to central London. It is centred 5.8 miles (9.3 km) west south-west of Charing Cross in a bend of the River Thames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust</span> Charity in the United Kingdom

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is an international wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWT Caerlaverock</span> Wetland nature reserve in southwest Scotland

WWT Caerlaverock is wetland nature reserve in southwest Scotland, one of ten reserves in Britain operated by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust founded by Sir Peter Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWT Arundel</span>

WWT Arundel is one of ten wildfowl and wetland nature reserves managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, a nature conservation charity in the United Kingdom. The 60 acres (24 ha) reserve is situated at the foot of the Offham Hangar, a part of the Arun valley in Arundel, West Sussex, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWT Llanelli Wetlands Centre</span> Nature reserve in South Wales

WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre at Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales is one of ten wetland nature reserves in the UK managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, a nature conservation charity. The visitor centre has accessible toilets, a coffee shop and retail area. During school holidays, there are nature-based activities and events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWT Martin Mere</span> Nature reserve in the United Kingdom

WWT Martin Mere is a wetland nature reserve and wildfowl collection managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Tarlscough, Burscough, Lancashire, England, on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, 6 miles (10 km) from Ormskirk and 10 miles (16 km) from Southport (Merseyside). It is one of ten reserves managed by the charity, and it is designated an SSSI, an SPA and a Ramsar Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWT Slimbridge</span> Wetland nature reserve in Gloucestershire

WWT Slimbridge is a wetland wildlife reserve near Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, England. It is midway between Bristol and Gloucester on the eastern side of the estuary of the River Severn. The reserve, set up by the artist and naturalist Sir Peter Scott, opened in November 1946. Scott subsequently founded the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, which has since opened nine other reserves around the country. Slimbridge comprises some 800 hectares of pasture, reed bed, lagoon and salt marsh. Many water birds live there all year round, and others are migrants on their ways to and from their summer breeding grounds. Other birds overwinter, including large numbers of white-fronted geese and increasing numbers of Bewick's swans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWT Washington</span> Wetland reserve in North East England

WWT Washington Wetland Centre is a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Washington, Tyne and Wear, North East England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouse Washes</span> Nature reserve in the United Kingdom

Ouse Washes is a linear 2,513.6-hectare (6,211-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest stretching from near St Ives in Cambridgeshire to Downham Market in Norfolk. It is also a Ramsar internationally important wetland site, a Special Protection Area for birds, a Special Area of Conservation and a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I. An area of 186 hectares between March and Ely is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire and another area near Chatteris is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust manages another area near Welney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotswold Water Park</span> Lake system and park in England

The Cotswold Water Park is the United Kingdom's largest marl lake system, straddling the Wiltshire–Gloucestershire border, north-west of Cricklade and south of Cirencester. There are 180 lakes, spread over 42 square miles (110 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barn Elms</span> Open space in Richmond upon Thames, London

Barn Elms is an open space in Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, located on the northerly loop of the River Thames between Barnes and Fulham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nene Washes</span>

Nene Washes is a 1,522-hectare (3,760-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the bank of the River Nene east of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, England. It is also a Ramsar internationally important wetland site, a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area and a Nature Conservation Review site. An area of 280 hectares is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The total area of the Ramsar site is 1,517 hectares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chingford Reservoirs</span>

The Chingford Reservoirs are the King George V Reservoir and the William Girling Reservoir, which form part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain in the London Boroughs of Enfield and Waltham Forest and Epping Forest in Essex. Construction of the King George V Reservoir was started in 1908 and completed in 1912. Work on the William Girling Reservoir was started in 1938, with John Mowlem & Co being the contractor, but owing to technical problems, and the intervention of World War II, the reservoir was not finished until 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sevenoaks Gravel Pits</span>

Sevenoaks Gravel Pits is a 73.7-hectare (182-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the northern outskirts of Sevenoaks in Kent. It is managed by Kent Wildlife Trust as the Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve and Jeffery Harrison Visitor Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tring Reservoirs</span> Reservoir in England

Tring Reservoirs is a group of four reservoirs close to Tring on the border of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England. Their purpose is to feed the Grand Union Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonsdale Road Reservoir</span>

Lonsdale Road Reservoir is a disused reservoir in Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is an 8.2 hectare local nature reserve and Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade 1, owned and managed by Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walthamstow Wetlands</span> Urban nature reserve in Walthamstow, East London

Walthamstow Wetlands is a 211-hectare nature reserve in Walthamstow, east London, adjacent to the historic Essex-Middlesex border on the River Lea. It is focused on the Walthamstow Reservoirs, built by the East London Waterworks Company between 1853 and 1904 as part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain. The site is one of the largest urban wetland nature reserves in Europe and is particularly important for wildlife due to its position within the Lee Valley. It serves as a byway for migrating, wintering and breeding birds. Visitors can freely access the site's natural, industrial and social heritage in one of the capital's most densely populated urban areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits</span>

Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits is a 117.2-hectare (290-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wraysbury in Berkshire. It is part of South West London Waterbodies Ramsar site and Special Protection Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavells Lake</span>

Lavells Lake is a 12.5-hectare (31-acre) Local Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Woodley, a suburb of Reading in Berkshire. It is owned by Wokingham District Council and managed by the council and The Friends of Lavell's Lake. The nature reserve is part of Dinton Pastures Country Park.

References

  1. "London Wetland Centre: A Birdwatcher's Paradise". london-postcodes.online.
  2. Natural England, Barn Elms Wetland Centre Citation
  3. "ALVA - Association of Leading Visitor Attractions". www.alva.org.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2020.

51°28′43″N0°13′59″W / 51.4786°N 0.2331°W / 51.4786; -0.2331