Church Lane Playing Field is located within Merton Park Conservation Area and just across Church Path from the parish church of St Mary. It is completely surrounded by a Grade II Listed wall dating partly from the 17th century. The wall surrounded a mansion, Merton Place, later Church House, the last part of which was demolished in the 1920s. Beside the southern edge of the field, the nearby Merton First School created a nature area in 1985 and added a small pond two years later.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Church Lane Playing Field
Borough: Merton
Grade: Local
Access: Free public access (all/most of site)
Area: 0.97 ha
Description
Wildlife
A variety of plants eke out an existence on the old wall, and among the commoner ivy and ivy-leaved toadflax is a clump of maidenhair spleenwort, a fern that is rare in London. Trees follow the edge of the field; field maple, oak, ash, false-acacia and sycamore are the main species, but only a few of them are mature. Pride of place goes to a fine old mulberry on the side closest to Church Lane. The main part of the field consists of grassland, but there is a little more interest than usual as hedge bedstraw can be found within the grass, as well as the more usual dove's-foot crane's-bill, yarrow, autumn hawkbit, cat's-ear and common mallow. The corners of the field are mown less frequently and here common mallow, common nettle and male-fern can be found.There is a hedgerow dividing the nature area and the field, underplanted with daffodils. The small meadow that surrounds the pond contains much hedge bedstraw, and in springtime primroses, bluebells and violets can be seen here.Facilities
No information available
Six-spot burnet moth © Jason Gallier
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