Thames Landscape Strategy - Hampton to Kew -

Arcadia education and information

The autumn equinox produces some of the highest tides of the year but also some of the lowest and is traditionally the time to cut the summer vegetation along the riverside ready for the winter. The low tides allow our machinery to get right up close to the river and all the accumulated summer debris can be picked up. The number of flowering species along the river is slowly increasing and this year we saw a wonderful display of purple loosestrife where just four years ago the river was largely obscured by a wall of the invasive weed Himalayan balsam. The freshly cut riverside does mean however, that on the next series of high tides the flotsam and jetsam floating on the river will be deposited much further inland. This will get picked up immediately after the series of high tides have gone down but it does mean living with the litter for a few days.

The new management of the river is part of the Heritage lottery funded ‘London’ Arcadia project – a three-year scheme to restore and repair the open spaces on and below Richmond Hill. But Heritage Lottery funded projects are not just about the repair and restoration of places alone. To win funding, projects must have plans to increase access and understanding – in other words education. The £2.3m funding that London’s Arcadia received from the Heritage Lottery includes allocated money for education projects. Environmental education takes many forms. It could be interpretation boards, lectures, guided walks, schools programmes or the production of walking leaflets. It also embraces a wide range of topics in order to educate people about their river.

One such education project has already been carried out in partnership with Orleans House Gallery called ‘Natural Talent’. It was a huge success with 50 school children in year 2 involved in a cross curriculum activity over 4 days that culminated in a trip on the river aboard HM The Queen’s Thames Barge ‘The Jubilant’. The children learnt about the river’s wildlife and why litter and pollution damage the environment so much.

In another initiative, a walking leaflet has recently been published to encourage families to walk along the river between the Kew and Richmond Bridges. The ‘Kraft Picnic Walk’ has been sponsored by Kraft Foods which is based near the river. The leaflet is full of fascinating information about the route along this diverse reach of the Thames. Between Richmond and Kew, the towpath makes its way through a wilderness of wet woodland and pebbly foreshore with splendid views across the river to Syon, Isleworth and the Islands. On crossing Kew Bridge into Brentford a different but equally fascinating world is entered. The recently restored Watermans Park (on the site of an old gas and coke works) now looks very nice after and its recent facelift by Hounslow Council and its southerly aspect makes it a perfect place to sit, soak up the sun and watch the herons on Brentford Ait opposite. Maybe I should get out more but it really is more fascinating than the telly.

Although the route does divert from the river in several places to make its way round buildings, the Thames Path through Brentford is well worth a visit. A lost world of narrow boats, canal repair shops, locks and industry is found. It may not have the natural beauty of Kew but its industrial heritage is fascinating. From Thames Lock, the Grand Union Canal (part of British Waterways network of navigations) makes its way through West London and on to Birmingham. In fact boats and walkers can journey as far north as Lancaster, Liverpool and York without leaving the canal – although with a speed limit of four miles per hour the boat journey would take quite some time to complete!

The walking leaflet will help you navigate your way through the old warehouses, docks and industrial sites, many of which are being slowly lost to housing developments as the area undergoes redevelopment. From Brentford the walk meanders its way through Syon Park, the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland before entering Isleworth. From here the walk continues through St. Margaret’s and back to Richmond.

The walking guide is aimed at everyone but in particular to encourage families to come out and discover the river. It has information on how to be safe near the water and includes a two for one entry offer into Kew Gardens (children under 17 go free).

To launch the ‘Kraft Picnic Walk’ I took a group out on the walk last week leaving Watermans Park at 5.00 in the evening setting off towards Isleworth. What a time we had! At Ferry Quay in Brentford I was busy explaining about the German Hairy Snail when a kingfisher perched on a twig overhanging the river. The walk co-incided with a very high tide that over-topped the riverside in several places. Although we were quite safe, the speed that it came up and then went back down again amazed everyone. As dusk approached we stopped off for a drink in Isleworth. As we sat watching the river two foxes wandered onto a small beach on Isleworth Ait in a vain attempt to catch a near-by duck. It was so very special and for me, sums up why we call this remarkable stretch of the river the ‘Arcadian Thames’. ‘Arcadia’ means ‘rural paradise’ but a place where humans and nature co-exist. There is no other part of London with as much wildlife as this short stretch of river, set within a landscape of historic settlements, palaces and working riversides. If you are lucky on your walk, seals may even be seen as far upstream as Twickenham.

Autumn is such a special time on the river. So pick up a copy of the ‘Kraft Walking Leaflet’ at the local libraries and get yourselves down to the towpath and discover the fascinating and historic River Thames. You will not be disappointed.

RIVER FACT

The tidally flooded willows by the river at Syon Park provide shade for the Two-lipped Door Snail and the German Hairy Snail – two of the rarest species in the UK. They are only about 4-6mm across, milk chocolate coloured with tiny bristles that help it to float.

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