Space to Visit

A churchyard maintained by the local borough council and now managed as a nature reserve, St Peter and St Paul’s Churchyard is a unique green space within Barking and Dagenham. The Churchyard was closed to new burials in the 1990s, since which it has been managed as a nature reserve. The London Wildlife Trust took over the management of the site in 1997. The area surrounding the church is maintained very much as gardens where nature can thrive but the emphasis is on formality. Further away from the church the gardens give way to an area of meadow where gravestones are found resting amongst spring and summer flowers. The long grass, bramble and trees provide wildlife habitats, while the old walls and headstones are valuable for lichens and mosses which are not common in the borough. The churchyard is important for invertebrates. In summer you can find the long grass full of butterflies and crickets and there are lots of flying insects, which provide food for bats. A kestrel has nested on the church tower for a number of years. Woodpeckers regularly feed on the avenue of lime trees. A family of foxes live in the churchyard and can often be seen in the early morning and late evening. The London Wildlife Trust run regular events in conjunction with the borough’s Parks and Countryside Ranger Service.