Monken Hadley Common
Encyclopedia
Monken Hadley Common is a Local Nature Reserve
, Borough Grade I, in Monken Hadley
in the London Borough of Barnet
. It is owned by the Trustees of Monken Hadley Common.
It is a large area of about 70 hectares between Monken Hadley and Cockfosters
. The Common is 1.5 miles long and wedge shaped, half a mile wide at the Monken Hadley end tapering to a point at the Cockfosters end. It is a remnant of the former Royal Forest of Enfield Chase, which was enclosed by an Act of Parliament of 1777. A small part was allotted to the village of Monken Hadley, and this is the only land which has remained as a Common. Until the 1950s, the Commoners exercised their rights to use the land for grazing. The Common is bisected by the East Coast Main Railway Line
.
The Common is mostly wooded, dominated by pedunculate oak
, with some hornbeam
, beech
and field maple
s. Holly
forms a dense understorey in some places, while elsewhere a more diverse shrub layer includes Midland hawthorn
and hazel
. Several ground flora species are ancient woodland indicators, suggesting that fragments have survived from before the time when the common was managed as wood-pasture. Butterflies include white-letter and purple hairstreaks
, and there are breeding birds such as sparrowhawk and tawny owl
.
Beech Hill Lake (or Jack's Lake) was formed by damming Pymme's Brook. It is managed for angling but supports common waterfowl and Daubenton's Bat
s use it for feeding, foraging low over the water. Two smaller ponds have a much richer flora and abundant amphibians, which attract grass snakes.
The London Loop and Pymmes Brook Trail
pass through the Common.
There is access from Camlet Way, Hadley Wood Road and Games Road.
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
, Borough Grade I, in Monken Hadley
Monken Hadley
Monken Hadley is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. An ancient country village north of Barnet, it is now a suburban development situated on the very edge of Greater London north north-west of Charing Cross, while retaining much of its rural character....
in the London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
. It is owned by the Trustees of Monken Hadley Common.
It is a large area of about 70 hectares between Monken Hadley and Cockfosters
Cockfosters
Cockfosters is a suburb of North London, lying partly in the London Borough of Enfield and partly in the London Borough of Barnet. The counties of Hertfordshire and Middlesex respectively are still used in postal addresses.The name has been recorded as far back as 1524, and is thought to be either...
. The Common is 1.5 miles long and wedge shaped, half a mile wide at the Monken Hadley end tapering to a point at the Cockfosters end. It is a remnant of the former Royal Forest of Enfield Chase, which was enclosed by an Act of Parliament of 1777. A small part was allotted to the village of Monken Hadley, and this is the only land which has remained as a Common. Until the 1950s, the Commoners exercised their rights to use the land for grazing. The Common is bisected by the East Coast Main Railway Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
.
The Common is mostly wooded, dominated by pedunculate oak
Pedunculate Oak
Quercus robur is commonly known as the Pedunculate Oak or English oak. It is native to most of Europe, and to Anatolia to the Caucasus, and also to parts of North Africa.-Taxonomy:Q...
, with some hornbeam
Hornbeam
Hornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...
, beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
and field maple
Field Maple
Acer campestre, common name Field Maple, is a maple native to much of Europe, north to southern Scotland , Denmark, Poland and Belarus, and also southwest Asia from Turkey to the Caucasus, and north Africa in the Atlas Mountains...
s. Holly
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
forms a dense understorey in some places, while elsewhere a more diverse shrub layer includes Midland hawthorn
Midland Hawthorn
Crataegus laevigata, known as the midland hawthorn, woodland hawthorn or mayflower, is a species of hawthorn native to western and central Europe, from Great Britain and Spain east to the Czech Republic and Hungary. The species name is often spelled C. levigata, but the original orthography is C...
and hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
. Several ground flora species are ancient woodland indicators, suggesting that fragments have survived from before the time when the common was managed as wood-pasture. Butterflies include white-letter and purple hairstreaks
Purple Hairstreak
The Purple Hairstreak Neozephyrus quercus is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae distributed throughout much of Europe. North Africa, Asia Minor, Caucasus and Transcaucasia....
, and there are breeding birds such as sparrowhawk and tawny owl
Tawny Owl
The Tawny Owl or Brown Owl is a stocky, medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across much of Eurasia. Its underparts are pale with dark streaks, and the upperparts are either brown or grey. Several of the eleven recognised subspecies have both variants...
.
Beech Hill Lake (or Jack's Lake) was formed by damming Pymme's Brook. It is managed for angling but supports common waterfowl and Daubenton's Bat
Daubenton's bat
Daubenton's Bat, Myotis daubentonii, is a Eurasian bat with quite short ears. It ranges from Britain to Japan and is considered to be increasing its numbers in many areas.The name commemorates the French naturalist Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton....
s use it for feeding, foraging low over the water. Two smaller ponds have a much richer flora and abundant amphibians, which attract grass snakes.
The London Loop and Pymmes Brook Trail
Pymmes Brook Trail
Pymmes Brook Trail is located in the London Boroughs of Barnet and Enfield and is just under long. It is named after William Pymmea local landowner between 1307-1327. The trail is between Monken Hadley Common and the Lee Valley Leisure Complex at Edmonton or alternatively the River Lee Navigation...
pass through the Common.
There is access from Camlet Way, Hadley Wood Road and Games Road.