Hither Green Triangle

Hither Green Triangle is owned by Network rail and managed with the assistance of Lewisham Council and the Friends Group. 

It is an area of land enclosed when the railway lines were constructed in the nineteenth century. The land at the base of the embankments is at the original height of the surrounding landscape.

A water feature variously described as small stream, ditch or drain cuts through the triangle and its embankments and there is a pond east of the stream. It was recognised as a site of nature conservation importance in Lewisham in the eighties.

Opening hours and access

Access to the site is currently not available due to the access works at Hither Green Station.

There is no general access to the site but the Friends do hold the occasional work session. For more details please contact the Council's nature conservation officer.

Flora and fauna

The site has a rich wasteland flora.

About 50% of the site is covered in dense woodland which located on or near the steep embankments.

There is a good range of trees and shrubs particularly various willows' pedunculate oak, sycamore, hawthorn, elder, blackthorne and cherry.

Considerable areas are covered in rough false oat-grass dominated grassland and tall herbs such as horseradish. Michaelmas daisy, hemlock, goat’s-rue, bristly oxtongue, Canadian golden rod and common nettle.

There is a small pond from which common newts, frogs and toads have all been recorded. This is enclosed by a wetland plants including fool’s watercress, pendulous sedge, reed sweet-grass, and yellow iris. Great horsetail (Equisetum telmateia), which is scarce in London, also occurs here

The northern slope is largely grassland, with wild flowers including oxeye daisy, common knapweed, wild mignonette and bladder campion. This gives way on the bottom of the hollow to bramble scrub and tall herbs, providing nesting cover for whitethroats and, in some years, lesser whitethroats.

Most of the southern edge, adjacent to platform 4 at Hither Green Station, is wooded. A small stream trickles from north to south across the east of the site.

The sidings are a good area for migrant birds, with wheatear, whinchat, cuckoo and garden warbler all seen regularly in spring and autumn.

History

This area had been used as a dump for rubbish from station and engine sheds until its nature conservation potential was recognised in 1991. It was formally declared a nature reserve by a partnership of British Rail (as was) and the Borough Council in 1993.

The vegetation now receives periodic management from the Council's Nature Conservation Section to maintain the mosaic of habitats.