This large area of open space, much of it belonging to Harrow School, contains many features of wildlife interest. Apart from the extensive school sports facilities, the grounds of Harrow School contain a surprisingly wide variety of wildlife habitats, including pockets of woodland, old hedgerows, veteran oak trees, a lake and a stream. An area of woodland to the west of the lake is managed by the school as a nature reserve and an ancient trackway, now a public footpath, runs through the middle. Apart from the school grounds, the site also includes The Grove, a densely-overgrown sycamore woodland, and the associated Grove Fields, Church Fields, and Harrow Churchyard, of considerable historical importance. The churchyard, Grove Fields and Church Fields are freely accessible to the public, while the nature reserve and other parts of the site can be accessed on public footpaths only. There is no access to The Grove woodlands.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Harrow on the Hill
Borough: Harrow
Grade: Borough Grade I
Access: Free public access (part of site)
Area: 75.27 ha
Description
Wildlife
Perhaps foremost among the features of wildlife interest within the school grounds is the lake, which is set in woodland. Its margins support a diverse wetland flora including remote sedge, yellow iris, gipsywort and great reedmace. Breeding waterfowl include mallards, coots, moorhens and an occasional pair of little grebes. The lake contains a good population of fish, and is used for angling. The woodland to the west of the lake, run as a nature reserve, has a canopy with a mix of native and exotic trees, while the ground flora includes bluebell, wood anemone and primrose. The wood contains a sizeable pond, with a similar range of wetland plants to the lake. The emerald damselfly, which is scarce in London, breeds in the pond, along with at least seven other species of dragonflies and damselflies. Frogs, toads and smooth newts all breed in the pond. The uncommon garden escape dusky crane's-bill is abundant beside the footpath. The remainder of the school grounds is agricultural land and sports pitches, with small areas of rough grassland and acid grassland, criss-crossed with some fine ancient hedgerows with ditches. Among the less common hedgerow shrubs are field maple, Midland hawthorn and field rose. There are a number of old, stag-headed oaks, both in the hedges and scattered among the fields. Outside of the school grounds, The Grove is a densely-overgrown sycamore woodland with little ground flora, but some fine old trees. Harrow Churchyard is well-tended, and a wide range of wild flowers grow at the edges and other less managed areas.Facilities
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