Taylors Lane Power Station, with its two tall chimneys, is visible from a wide hinterland. It towers over this new park and two nearby areas of roughland. The two entrances to Brentfield Open Space are easily missed; the northern one is alongside a footpath to Gibbons Recreation Ground. The southern one is some little way down Leicester Road, and appears to be a private access to Taylors Lane Power Station. From the park can be viewed the dramatic skyline of the Swaminarayan Hindu Temple to the northwest.Just outside the southern gate of the park is Leicester Road, continuing to the north past the entrance to the power station. Above this section of Leicester Road looms the paraphernalia of electricity production.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Brentfield Open Space
Borough: Brent
Grade: Local
Access: Free public access (all/most of site)
Area: 1.22 ha
Description
Wildlife
The park is sheltered and quiet with planted shrubs around the edges. Red fescue and dove's-foot cranesbill are common within the grassland, and barren brome, dwarf mallow and shepherd's-purse grow at the edges of the site. Planted trees and shrubs include narrowleaf ash and Japanese quince, with native species such as guelder rose, dogwood, hawthorn and elder. These provide shelter for birds such as dunnock and blackbird. A number of plants have crept in from the roughland just beyond the boundaries of the open space, and from further afield; these include salsify, a member of the daisy family with purple flowers, prickly sow-thistle, hawkweed oxtongue and mugwort.Anyone learning wildflower identification would find Leicester Road a good place to start. The abundant and diverse flora includes Chinese mugwort, purple toadflax, perennial wall-rocket, common horsetail and many-seeded goosefoot.Facilities
No information available
Dunnock © Jason Gallier
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