Frays Farm Meadows
Encyclopedia
Frays Farm Meadows is a 28.2 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest
near Denham
in the London Borough of Hillingdon
. It was notified as an SSSI in 1981, and has been managed by the London Wildlife Trust
on behalf of Hillingdon Council since 1999. It is part of the Colne Valley Regional Park
.
The Meadows are a set of fields bounded on the south by the A40 road
and on the west by the Grand Union Canal
. The Frays River
goes north through the site before swinging west, where it meets an old railway embankment which runs north from the A40, dividing the site into three parts, the western fields, the area between the embankment and the river, and the fields east and north of the river. The site is accessible to the public apart from fields on both sides of the embankment. Access to the western fields is by a stile on the eastern bank of the canal at Denham Lock. From there a path through Denham Lock Wood
(another SSSI run by London Wildlife Trust, north-west of the Meadows) gives access to the northern and eastern fields.
The Meadows provide a window on the medieval world, having have never been intensively farmed. They are one of the few remaining examples of unimproved wet alluvial grassland in Greater London and the Colne Valley. The linear features, river, embankment, ditches and hedges, contribute to the rich diversity of pland and animals. Cows and horses graze in order to improve conditions by churning up the ground and encouraging pooling of water. Mammals on site include the nationally endangered water vole, and there are birds such as snipe, cuckoos and a barn owl. Plants include marsh horsetail
, ragged robin and arrowhead.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
near Denham
Denham, Buckinghamshire
Denham is a village and civil parish in the South Buckinghamshire district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is north west of Uxbridge and north of junction 1 of the M40 motorway. Denham contains the Buckinghamshire Golf Club.-Origin:...
in the London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
. It was notified as an SSSI in 1981, and has been managed by the London Wildlife Trust
London Wildlife Trust
London Wildlife Trust was founded in 1981. It is one of 47 members of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts , each of which is a local nature conservation charity for its area....
on behalf of Hillingdon Council since 1999. It is part of the Colne Valley Regional Park
Colne Valley regional park
The Colne Valley regional park located to the west of Greater London contains a mixture of farmland, woodland and water, fifty miles of river and canal and over forty lakes. As well as providing homes and farms it is also a regionally important place recreation and internationally important for...
.
The Meadows are a set of fields bounded on the south by the A40 road
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
and on the west by the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
. The Frays River
Frays River
Frays River is a river in England that branches off the River Colne at Uxbridge Moor and rejoins it at West Drayton.The Frays River leaves the River Colne between Uxbridge and Denham, Buckinghamshire at Denham Weir. It passes Cowley and Yiewsley where it is joined by the River Pinn. It is also...
goes north through the site before swinging west, where it meets an old railway embankment which runs north from the A40, dividing the site into three parts, the western fields, the area between the embankment and the river, and the fields east and north of the river. The site is accessible to the public apart from fields on both sides of the embankment. Access to the western fields is by a stile on the eastern bank of the canal at Denham Lock. From there a path through Denham Lock Wood
Denham Lock Wood
Denham Lock Wood is a 6.3 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest next to the Grand Union Canal, and near Denham in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was notified in 1986 and is managed by the London Wildlife Trust on behalf of Hillingdon Council...
(another SSSI run by London Wildlife Trust, north-west of the Meadows) gives access to the northern and eastern fields.
The Meadows provide a window on the medieval world, having have never been intensively farmed. They are one of the few remaining examples of unimproved wet alluvial grassland in Greater London and the Colne Valley. The linear features, river, embankment, ditches and hedges, contribute to the rich diversity of pland and animals. Cows and horses graze in order to improve conditions by churning up the ground and encouraging pooling of water. Mammals on site include the nationally endangered water vole, and there are birds such as snipe, cuckoos and a barn owl. Plants include marsh horsetail
Equisetum palustre
Equisetum palustre, the marsh horsetail, is a plant species belonging to the division of horsetails .- Description :...
, ragged robin and arrowhead.