Creekside Discovery Centre | |
---|---|
Location | Deptford in the London Borough of Lewisham, London, United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 51°28′40″N0°01′13″W / 51.4779°N 0.0204°W |
Opened | 1999 |
Owned by | National Grid |
Operated by | Creekside Education Trust |
Visitors | 50,000 since 2002 |
Awards | Runner up in the Introducing Young People to Nature in the Growing Localities Awards, 2013. [1] |
Habitats | Brownfield |
Facilities | Education centre |
Website | https://www.creeksidecentre.org.uk |
The Creekside Discovery Centre is a 0.5-hectare (1.2-acre) natural habitat in Deptford in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is owned by the National Grid and managed by the Creekside Education Trust. Formerly a gas works, [2] the centre is a brownfield habitat incorporating the only existing sloping beach into Deptford Creek. [3] Other habitats on the site include a pond, constructed in a project coordinated by the Creekside Education Trust in partnership with Lewisham College, [4] and a sandbank, built in 2001. [5]
The Creekside Centre became a nature reserve as a result of an agreement between the Creekside Renewal Project and British Gas, the latter was unable to build on the site due to the existence of a large-diameter gas pipe on the site. [3]
In 2015 the Friend’s of Creekside scheme was launched to help fund the charity, develop on-site facilities, and raise local awareness of the nature reserve. [6]
The site contains a 250kg propellor from a former Scottish fishing boat, the Northern Star. [7]
Historically the site has been associated with the black redstart, although habitat destruction in the wider area has meant they are no longer present. In 2011 sand martins began nesting in the sandbank on the site. [5]
Two nationally rare species of wasps have been found on the site; the spider-hunting wasp Auplopus carbonarius and the mason wasp Microdynerus exilis. [3]
Across the surrounding conservation area, 300 species of wildflower have been identified. [8]
The original plans to develop an educational facility on the site involved a floating centre located in the creek itself. The eventual building design built was a timber framed, cedar-clad building, incorporating a brown roof was constructed in 2002 at a cost of £500,000. [2]
The Creekside Centre provides educational sessions for local schools, guided walks along Deptford Creek, special events for the public, and venue hire. [9]
In 2012 the site hosted a performance of the Odyssey by local theatre group Teatro Vivo. [10]
The Creekside Centre has received funding from various sources including the City Bridge Trust. [11] Since the autumn of 2020 the centre has received funding grants through a partnership with the company constructing the Thames Tideway Tunnel. [12]
Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green and Catford South wards. The population of Catford, including Bellingham, was 44,905 in 2011.
Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Dockyards. This was a major shipbuilding dock and attracted Peter the Great to come and study shipbuilding. Deptford and the docks are associated with the knighting of Sir Francis Drake by Queen Elizabeth I aboard the Golden Hind, the legend of Sir Walter Raleigh laying down his cape for Elizabeth, Captain James Cook's third voyage aboard HMS Resolution, and the mysterious apparent murder of Christopher Marlowe in a house along Deptford Strand.
Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England. It forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham. The local authority is Lewisham London Borough Council, based in Catford. The Prime Meridian passes through Lewisham. Blackheath, Goldsmiths, University of London and Millwall F.C. are located within the borough.
Greenwich is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated 5.5 miles (8.9 km) east-south-east of Charing Cross.
The Port of London is that part of the River Thames in England lying between Teddington Lock and the defined boundary with the North Sea and including any associated docks. Once the largest port in the world, it was the United Kingdom's largest port as of 2020. Usage is largely governed by the Port of London Authority ("PLA"), a public trust established in 1908; while mainly responsible for coordination and enforcement of activities it also has some minor operations of its own.
The River Ravensbourne is a tributary of the River Thames in south London, England. It flows into the tidal River Thames at Deptford, where its tidal reach is known as Deptford Creek.
The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain.
The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a 25 km (16 mi) combined sewer running mostly under the tidal section (estuary) of the River Thames across Inner London intended to capture, store and convey almost all the raw sewage and rainwater that currently overflows into the estuary. These events occur when rainfall volumes exceed the capacity of Bazalgette's and other engineers' London sewerage system. The tunnelling phase of the project was completed in April 2022; construction ended in March 2024 ahead of a testing and handover phase expected to conclude in 2025.
The Grand Surrey Canal was a canal constructed in south London, England during the early 19th century. It opened to the Old Kent Road in 1807, to Camberwell in 1810, and to Peckham in 1826. Its main purpose was to transport cargo, primarily timber from the Surrey Commercial Docks.
London is the largest urban area and the capital city of the United Kingdom. It lies in the southeastern part of the island of Great Britain. The London region covers 1,579 square kilometres (610 sq mi), and had a population of 8.982 million in 2019 and a population density of 5,596 people per square km in 2021. A larger area—the London Metropolitan Region or the London Metropolitan Agglomeration—covers 8,382 square kilometres (3,236 sq mi) and had 12,653,500 people, at a density of 1,510 per square kilometre.
Lewisham parks and open spaces are part of the "green lung" of London and include a diverse range of sites, from small urban parks and gardens to one of the most historic natural landscapes in Greater London at Blackheath. While overall control rests with London Borough of Lewisham, management of borough-owned parks and their facilities is contracted out to Glendale Grounds Management.
Ladywell is a locale in Lewisham in South East London, England, and a ward in the London Borough of Lewisham between Brockley, Crofton Park and Lewisham proper. It has ample green space including Ladywell Fields and Hilly Fields which borders Brockley. Ladywell Village, the main shopping area along Ladywell Road, was given a facelift in 2013 with £800,000 of Transport for London funding. The pavements were widened, short stay bays created to help local businesses and shoppers, and trees were added. Ladywell Village has a range of retail outlets including a number of cafes, a patisserie and a delicatessen.
The Tideway is a part of the River Thames in England which is subject to tides. This stretch of water is downstream from Teddington Lock. The Tideway comprises the upper Thames Estuary including the Pool of London.
Convoys Wharf in Deptford is a former commercial wharf on the River Thames in London, currently awaiting redevelopment. It includes the site of Deptford Dockyard, built in the reign of King Henry VIII as one of the first Royal Dockyards. Convoys Wharf also covers most of the site of Sayes Court manor house and gardens, one-time home of the diarist John Evelyn.
Surrey Canal railway station is a proposed station on the South London Line of the London Overground network. It is on its main line.
Sayes Court was a manor house and garden in Deptford, in the London Borough of Lewisham on the Thames Path and in the former parish of St Nicholas. Sayes Court once attracted throngs to visit its celebrated garden created by the seventeenth century diarist John Evelyn. Now completely buried beneath Convoys Wharf and Sayes Court Park, the area shows little sign of its former glory, despite having been a key factor in the creation of the National Trust.
Earl's Sluice is an underground river in south-east London, England. Its source is Ruskin Park on Denmark Hill. In South Bermondsey it is joined by the River Peck before emptying into the Thames at Deptford Wharf.
Brookmill Park, formerly known as Ravensbourne Park, is a small public park and nature reserve located in Deptford and is in the London Borough of Lewisham. It runs parallel to Brookmill Road and the River Ravensbourne. It is located between Deptford Bridge and Elverson Road on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).
Ladywell Fields, originally Ladywell Recreation Ground is a public park in the London Borough of Lewisham created from three historic fields. It is located near Ladywell railway station at the northern end of the park, and Catford Bridge at the southern end.
Greenwich Pumping Station, known until c. 1986 as Deptford Pumping Station, is a sewage pumping station in the London Borough of Greenwich built in 1865 to the east of Deptford Creek. It is part of the London sewerage system devised by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in the mid 19th century. Today operated by Thames Water, it is located on the western side of Norman Road, approximately 0.5 km (0.31 mi) south west of Greenwich town centre, on the eastern bank of Deptford Creek, around 0.5 km (0.31 mi) south of its confluence with the River Thames.