The old walls of St Bernard’s Hospital support seven fern species, including several uncommon species. This site includes the walls of St Bernard’s Hospital chapel and some old boundary walls in the south-east of the hospital site.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
St Bernard's Hospital walls
Borough: Ealing
Grade: Borough Grade II
Access: Free public access (all/most of site)
Area: 0.13 ha
Description
Wildlife
Six species occur on the walls of the chapel including the uncommon species black spleenwort, maidenhair spleenwort, and lady-fern. On the old boundary walls maidenhair spleenwort also occurs but black spleenwort and wall-rue are particularly abundant and include some very large old plants. The value of the site could easily be damaged if walls are re-pointed or cleaned in an insensitive way. It is likely that other old walls in this area also supported interesting ferns but these have now lost their interest. Interpretation boards highlighting the ferns would enhance the value of the site for the public and would be a reminder to those maintaining the walls to take care not to damage the site unnecessarily.Facilities
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