Petersham Common – Autumn and Winter Works 2024/2025
Welcome! This is the regular bulletin of what to look out for and what is happening in this woodland.
Autumn and Winter Works 2024/2025
First, we would like to thank
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames for repairing the Star and Garter Hill / Petersham Road entrance ramps, knee rails and stairs . This “right of way” was originally laid down in 2008.
The Petersham Environment Trust and the Ham and Petersham Association Amenities Group who have generously contributed to placing two stone horse troughs to mark the entrance / exit to Ham and Petershamon Star and Garter Hill and Petersham Road. These will be planted up and will help link this area to the wider community which has stone horse troughs as planters. .
This is our busiest working time of the year as bird nesting season is over, and most plants are in dormancy. With this in mind we will be laying the remaining short section hedgerow running along the bottom of Star and Garter Hill; planting 1,000+ native bluebells on the glades; and planting more native trees along the Wick House boundary fence. These activities visually soften the landscape and improve the habitat for native wildlife, especially nesting songbirds.
Earlier this year we created a wetland to help retain water as part of the wider Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS). This will be a damper area designed to slow the water down and help it to soak into the ground. This will also benefit from new planting. SuDs are of significant benefit to the surrounding trees that are able to tap into the water reserve as needed. They also help to manage the strain of excess water being absorbed into the Richmond drainage system including, for example, discharges into the River Thames.
Maintaining the SuDS on Petersham Common takes time. We have had some issues with unnecessary tampering with the system with someone continually blocking several of the drainage pipes. If you see anyone doing this please contact us below and ask them to stop the vandalism as it will prove exceedingly costly to repair if the system is blocked and with the result that the paths on Petersham Common are subsequently eroded.
