Local Wildlife Site

Created in 1981, this site is in the northern part of what used to be Surrey Commercial Docks. They were the centre of Britain’s timber trade, but were closed in 1970 and left to become derelict. The park was created on the site of the former Lavender Pond, which was a large area of shallow water used to store the timber to prevent it from drying and cracking. The present Lavender Pond is a reconstruction of the type of wetland habitats that once dominated the banks of the River Thames. Despite its relatively small size, the pond has an impressive variety of water plants both beneath and above the water. Associated damp habitats have been created, including boggy alder woodland and a damp meadow. An Educational Museum has been created in the old Pumphouse, built in the 1920s to house the pumps controlling water levels in the Surrey Docks and one of the few buildings to remain from the docks’ heyday. The museum is well used by schools and has a well-equipped classroom and resident teacher. The site is managed as an educational nature reserve by The Conservation Volunteers, who which employ a full-time warden. Lavender Pond was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 2005.