1.
All Souls College, Oxford
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All Souls College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become Fellows, All Souls is one of the wealthiest colleges in Oxford, with a financial endowment of £286. 4m. However, since the Colleges principal source of revenue is its endowment, All Souls is a registered charity under English law. The college is located on the side of the High Street adjoining Radcliffe Square to the west. To the east is The Queens College with Hertford College to the North, the current Warden is Sir John Vickers, a graduate of Oriel College, Oxford. The College was founded by Henry VI of England and Henry Chichele, the Statutes provided for the Warden and forty fellows – all to take Holy Orders, twenty-four to study arts, philosophy and theology, and sixteen to study civil or canon law. Today the College is primarily a research institution. The College now has no undergraduate members, All Souls did once have them, especially in the early 17th century on the instigation of Robert Hovenden, in order to provide the fellows with servientes. The admission of undergraduates for this purpose was abandoned in the 19th century, the All Souls Library was founded through a bequest from Christopher Codrington, a Fellow of the College. Christopher Codrington bequeathed books worth £6,000, in addition to £10,000 in currency and this bequest allowed the library to be built and endowed. Christopher Codrington was born in Barbados, and amassed his fortune from his sugar planation in the West Indies, the library was completed in 1751, and has been in continuous use since then. The modern library comprises some 185,000 items, about a third of which were published before 1800, the collections are particularly strong in Law and History. Built between 1438 and 1442, the chapel remained largely unchanged until the Commonwealth, Oxford, having been a largely Royalist stronghold, suffered under the Puritans wrath. The 42 misericords date from the Chapels building, and show a resemblance to the misericords at Higham Ferrers, both may have been carved by Richard Tyllock. Christopher Wren was a Fellow from 1653, and in 1658 produced a sundial for the College and this was originally placed on the South wall of the Chapel, until it was moved to the quadrangle in 1877. During the 1660s a screen was installed in the Chapel, which was based on a design by Wren, however, this screen needed to be rebuilt by 1713. By the mid-19th century the Chapel was in great need of renovation, each year several dozen typically do so. Two examination fellows are elected each year, although the college has awarded a single place in previous years
2.
Fryent Country Park
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Fryent Country Park together with Barn Hill Open Space is a large park situated in the north of the London Borough of Brent. It covers 103 hectares of rolling fields and small woods, Fryent is also a ward of the London Borough of Brent. Its population at the 2011 Census was 13,445, Barn Hill in the south-west of the park is a wooded hill that rises to 86m. A fish pond is found at the top of the Hill, numerous other ponds can be seen in the rest of the park. Gotfords Hill and Beane Hill are other points in the park. Parallel to Fryent Way is an ancient track known as Hell Lane or Eldestrete which may date back to Saxon times or earlier, the woodland comprises French oak, hornbeam, elm, ash and some fruit trees which also occur in the hedges along with blackthorn. The park is considered the best surviving example of Middlesex countryside in the Brent basin and has a population of the rare plant the narrow-leaved bitter-cress. Barn Hill called Bardonhill in 1547 was landscaped by Humphry Repton in 1792 as part of a local country park. The Fryent Park hay meadows are small remnants of two manors one originally in the ownership of King Edward the Confessor, the park is bisected by the A4140 Fryent Way that links Kingsbury with Wembley. A car park is available halfway down this road, the nearest underground is at Kingsbury Station on the Jubilee line. The 206 bus terminates a short distance from the park, the Capital Ring footpath crosses the site. However, the road Fryent Way, linking Kingsbury Circle and Salmon Street lacks a much needed bus service to residents and students alike around the area. The Barn Hill Open Area, or at least the summit of it, is nearer Wembley Park Station, Fryent Country Park was awarded a Green Flag Award in 2010/2011 for being a well-managed park or open space. The Green Flag Award scheme is the national standard for parks and green spaces in England. It is also a Local Nature Reserve, in 2014 London in Bloom awarded the park a silver gilt award in its Country Park of the Year category. The Liddiard Cup cross country race is staged here in late October. No.173 Explorer Map, London North, Brent, Wembley, Willesden and Kingsbury, A pictorial history. Brent Councils local management plan Barn Hill Conservation Group’s website Barn Hill Conservation Group’s 2007 management programme
3.
Brent Reservoir
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The Brent Reservoir is a reservoir between Hendon and Wembley Park in London. It straddles the boundary between the boroughs of Brent and Barnet and is owned by the Canal & River Trust, the reservoir takes its informal name from a public house called The Welsh Harp, which stood nearby until the early 1970s. It is a 68.6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, the reservoir is fed by the Silk Stream and the River Brent, and its outflow is the River Brent. It is said to contain water to fill 3 million baths. The reservoir has a centre, home to Welsh Harp Sailing Club, Wembley Sailing Club, the Sea Cadets. In 1960, it hosted the Womens European Rowing Championships. Plans for the construction laid in 1803 were abandoned because of cost, however canals continued to develop in the early 19th century and there were water supply problems. The reservoir was constructed by William Hoof between 1834 and 1835, the water flooded much of Cockman’s Farm, to supply the Regents Canal at Paddington. It was called Kingsbury Reservoir and its 69 acres spread between Old Kingsbury Church and Edgware Road, Hoof, who was awarded the tender for the work received the sum of £2,740 and six shillings. Construction did not proceed without problems, in August 1835, a few months before completion, additional building was completed in December 1837 to extend the reservoir. In 1841 after seven days of rain the dam head collapsed. It was after this that a supervisor was employed for the first time, at its greatest extent it covered 400 acres in 1853, but was reduced to 195 acres in the 1890s, and subsequently reduced to 110 acres. During the second half of the 19th century the area became a destination for recreation and evening entertainment, Warner, who in 1858 became licensee of the Old Welsh Harp Tavern. The tavern stood on the Edgware Road, near where it crossed the Brent, Warner, who fought with distinction in the Crimean War, created the tavern along the lines of the London Pleasure gardens. For 40 years, Warner made the Old Welsh Harp Tavern one of Londons most popular places, the amusements were focused not just on the inn, but around the reservoir. Warner operated a track until an Act of Parliament made it illegal. The first greyhound races with mechanical hares took place here in 1876, in 1891, there was an attempt by Capazza to launch his Patent Parachute Balloon, which failed to leave the ground. Accounts record nasty incidents among the 5000 spectators and these activities attracted a mixed clientele and crime and violence were not uncommon
4.
Coppett's Wood and Scrublands
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Coppetts Wood and Scrublands is a 14.5 hectare Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade I, between Muswell Hill and Friern Barnet in the London Borough of Barnet. It is part of the Coppetts Wood and Glebelands Local Nature Reserve, the main trees are oak and hornbeam, and ground flora include bluebell and garlic mustard. Breeding birds include woodpeckers, tawny owls and sparrowhawks, a small pond has a clump of yellow iris, and common frogs and smooth newts. Scrublands has a variety of habitats and some plants such as imperforate St Johns-wort. There are several species of insects. Coppetts Wood was once part of a forest known as Finchley Wood and it also had a reputation as a haunt of highwaymen. In the nineteenth century a sewage works was built on the site and it was closed in 1963, but still has its legacy in the rich variety of plants in the Scrublands. In the Second World War it was used for military training, access to the site is from Colney Hatch Lane and North Circular Road. The Coppetts Wood Conservationists meet on Sunday mornings throughout the year with the aim of maintaining the nature reserve, increasing its biodiversity, Coppetts is also a ward of the London Borough of Barnet. At 2011 Census the ward population was 17,250, Coppetts Wood on the Woodland Trust website Coppetts Wood Conservationists Hewlett, Janet
5.
Moat Mount Open Space
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Moat Mount Open Space is a 110-hectare park and nature reserve in Mill Hill in the London Borough of Barnet. Most of the site is open to the public, but Mote End Farm, scratchwood and Moat Mount are a Local Nature Reserve. Moat Mount is a large, hilly open space with views from the top of the hill. Most of it lies over London Clay, much of the Countryside Park is grassland, which has a diversity of wild flowers and many butterflies. The Park also has Leg of Mutton pond and several woods, such as Target Wood. Moat Mount also includes Moat Mount Outdoor Centre and Campsite, which has a range of activities for local schools, Dollis Brook rises in Mote End Farm. The site was owned by Irwin Cox, the Conservative MP for Harrow from 1899 to 1906. There are also entrances to the reserve from the back of Mill Hill County High School, Barnet Road, from Hendon Wood Lane along the route of the Greenwalk and the Loop, and from Bedford Road. The Dollis Valley Greenwalk starts at the car park, and the London Loop goes through the reserve, scratchwood is on the other side of Barnet Way, with access by an underpass at Courtland Avenue. Brunos Field is a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade II, at Grid Ref TQ215934, in the mid nineteenth century the field was part of the park of Highfield House, which was then owned by Lady Raffles, the widow of Stamford Raffles. Most of it is now used as pasture for cattle from the Royal Veterinary College and it has a varied topography with a pond and small streams in boggy areas, while grass areas have typical pasture herbs. Some of the oldest oaks mark eighteenth century field boundaries, the field is private land and there is no public access. Barnet parks and open spaces Nature reserves in Barnet
6.
Foots Cray Meadows
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Foots Cray Meadows is an area of parkland and woodland 97 hectares in size, within the London Borough of Bexley, England. It borders the suburbs of Albany Park, Sidcup, Foots Cray, North Cray, the River Cray runs through it in a north-easterly direction. The London Loop, a recreational walking path around London, also known as the M25 for walkers, runs through the meadows parallel to the river from Sidcup Place. Two notable bridges cross the River Cray in the meadows, Five Arches bridge, the Meadows are a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. They have also received a Green Flag Award, there is access from Rectory Lane, among other places. Adjacent to the meadows is an area known locally as the wasteland, the area was originally a part of the Footscray Place estate, and during the 18th century the Five Arches bridge was built. At the same time, an almshouse was built adjacent to the woods, on 18 October 1949 Footscray Place caught fire and the house was destroyed. The ruins were demolished and the grounds became Foots Cray Meadows. In the early 2000s, Five Arches bridge was renovated with new stone, along with the Penny Farthing bridge just upstream
7.
Lesnes Abbey Woods
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Lesnes Abbey Woods, sometimes known as Abbey Wood, is an area of ancient woodland in southeast London, England. It is located near to, and named after, the ruined Lesnes Abbey in the London Borough of Bexley, the woods are adjacent to Bostall Woods. The woods have several features dating back to the Bronze Age, the abbey kept fishponds which were fed by a small stream running down through the woods, and these are still visible today though the water level is often low. Local community group Lesnes Abbey Conservation Volunteers run practical conservation events to help manage the woodland and they are a registered environmental conservation charity run by local people. Lesnes Abbey Conservation Volunteers objectives include, To conserve and maintain for the public benefit Lesnes Abbey Wood, to advance public education in the principles and practices of nature conservation, and the archaeological and geological interest of Lesnes Abbey Wood and its environments. LACV is a community group which is open to all ages and abilities, the groups conservation tasks include hedge laying, coppicing, fence repair, pond restoration, glade creation, tree planting and heath land restoration. The group also does various wildlife surveys in order to monitor the native wildlife. Lesnes Abbey Woods is a Local Nature Reserve and includes the Abbey Wood geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, members of the public can dig for fossils in a small area called the Fossil Bank with the permission of the Lesnes Abbey ranger
8.
High Elms Country Park
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High Elms Country Park is an extensive 250-acre public park on the North Downs in Farnborough in the London Borough of Bromley. It is a Local Nature Reserve, and together with the neighbouring Downe Bank, the park surrounds High Elms Golf Course, and has extensive woodland, chiefly oak and beech, chalk meadows and formal gardens. It also has a cafe, a centre, nature and history trails. The rangers of the Bromley Countryside Service, who manage borough owned parks, are based at the park, there is access from High Elms Road and Shire Lane. The history of the High Elms estate can be traced back to the Norman Conquest, in the early nineteenth century it was acquired by the Lubbock family, and in 1840 the astronomer and banker, Sir John Lubbock, 3rd Baronet inherited it on the death of his father. He built a new mansion in the Italian style. In 1938 the estate was sold to Kent County Council and the became a nurses training centre. In 1965 the area part of the London Borough of Bromley. The land then became public space, but in 1967 the mansion burnt down
9.
Scadbury Park
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Scadbury Park is a Local Nature Reserve in Chislehurst in the London Borough of Bromley. It is also a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation and it is over 300 acres, and is part of an extensive wildlife corridor together with Petts Wood and the Jubilee Country Park. It has large areas of ancient woodland, especially oaks, and flowers include Lily of the Valley, ponds have Londons largest population of protected Great Crested Newts. Much of it is undisturbed grassland, and it includes a working farm. The main entrance is in Old Perry Street, also a West Lodge to the estate still exists, also on Old Perry Street. The London Loop passes through it from Sidcup By-Pass Road near its junction with Perry Street to St Pauls Cray Road, the site is first mentioned in the thirteenth century, when it was owned by the de Scathebury family. Queen Elizabeth Is spymaster, Francis Walsingham, was born there, in 1736 Col. John Selwyn purchased the property and owned it until 1742 when he passed it on to Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, after whom the city of Sydney, Australia was named. The manor was purchased by the London Borough of Bromley in 1983 and opened to the public in 1985
10.
London Borough of Camden
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The London Borough of Camden /ˈkæmdən/ is a borough in north west London, and forms part of Inner London. The southern reaches of Camden form part of central London, the local authority is Camden London Borough Council. The borough was created in 1965 from the area of the metropolitan boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and St Pancras. The borough was named after Camden Town, which had gained its name from Charles Pratt, the transcribed diaries of William Copeland Astbury, recently made available, describe Camden and the surrounding areas in great detail from 1829–1848. There are 162 English Heritage blue plaques in the borough of Camden representing the diverse personalities that have lived there. The area is in the part of the city, reaching from Holborn. Neighbouring areas are the City of Westminster and the City of London to the south, Brent to the west, Barnet and Haringey to the north and Islington to the east. It covers all or part of the N1, N6, N7, N19, NW1, NW2, NW3, NW5, NW6, NW8, EC1, WC1, WC2, W1 and it contains parts of central London. Camden Town Hall is located in Judd Street in St Pancras, Camden London Borough Council was controlled by the Labour Party continuously from 1971 until the 2006 election, when the Liberal Democrats became the largest party. In 2006, two Green Cllrs, Maya de Souza and Adrian Oliver, were elected and were the first Green Party councillors in Camden, Camden was the fourth to last council to drop out of the campaign, doing so in the early hours of 6 June. Borough councillors are elected every four years, between 2006 and 2010 Labour lost two seats to the Liberal Democrats through by-elections, in Kentish Town and Haverstock wards. A Labour Councillor in Haverstock ward also defected to the Liberal Democrats in February 2009, at the local elections on 6 May 2010 the Labour party regained full control of Camden council. The new council is made up of 30 Labour,13 Liberal Democrats,10 Conservatives, at the Councils AGM, Labours Nasim Ali took office as Camdens first leader from the Bengali community. Labour Councillor Jonathan Simpson was elected the Mayor of the Borough, the organisations staff are led by the Chief Executive who is currently Mike Cooke. Each directorate is divided into a number of divisions headed by an assistant director and they in turn are divided into groups which are themselves divided into services. This is a model to most local government in London. Pancras in the south, represented by Labours Keir Starmer, in 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise throughout the 19th century as the district became built up
