Once a market garden now a haven. We are standing at Braeburn Park in Crayford. This 22.3-hectare nature reserve tells a story of transformation. It is a place where industry gave way to nature.
Braeburn Park’s story began with orchards and market gardens. The Old Crayford Gun Club was based here. Later much of the area was quarried for sand. This continued until the 1980s. The site was then infilled and abandoned. Nature reclaimed the land.
Today Braeburn Park is managed by the London Wildlife Trust. It has a variety of habitats. You can find ruderal scrub, grassland and woodland here. The park supports a diverse range of wildlife. Rare invertebrates thrive including skipping flower beetles. Picture-winged flies also call this place home.
Wansunt Pit is within Braeburn Park. It is a 1.9-hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Its cliffs are of particular geological note.
Birdwatchers will enjoy spotting common species. Reptiles like the grass snake are present. Common lizards and slow-worms also live here.
In 2000 a housing development called Braeburn Park was built nearby. In 2014 a 17-hectare nature conservation area was added. This was made possible by The Land Trust and London Wildlife Trust. They manage it together.
The park’s diverse greenspace hosts a mix of chalk, acid and neutral grassland. You will also find scrub, relict orchard and mature woodland. Sandy banks and gravel cliffs add to the varied landscape. It is an excellent place to see butterflies and insects. Spring and summer are the best times for spotting them.
Management of Braeburn Park includes opening dense scrub. This creates open grassland habitat. Acid grassland slopes are mowed. Gorse and broom patches are thinned. Hazel coppicing started in 2015. Pathside scrub is cut on a three-year cycle.
New steps improve access. Footpath improvements are ongoing. Benches and information points enhance the visitor experience.
Two sand cliffs remain at the higher end of Braeburn Park. These are ideal for invertebrates and reptiles. Acid grassland slopes are in two separate areas. Oak and hazel woodland slopes lie near the A2. Willow-carr is being coppiced creating wet woodland.
Recent bird sightings include buzzards and kestrels. Sparrowhawks and woodpeckers have been spotted. You might see linnets and thrushes. Warblers, chiffchaffs and blackcaps are common in summer. Goldfinches, grey wagtails, robins, great tits and wrens are also present. Bullfinches nest here. Tawny owls can be heard in the oak woodland.
Lizards and slow worms live throughout the park. Toads and frogs can also be found. Butterfly species include peacocks and red admirals. Brimstones and small heaths are also seen. Common spotted and pyramidal orchids grow here.
Ongoing work opens up dense scrub. The aim is to create open grassland. Mowing of acid grassland slopes continues. Gorse and broom are thinned. Scrub is mown along paths every three years. Overgrown vegetation is cleared.
Braeburn Park is open at all times. You can access it from Lower Station Road. Other access points are on the former A2 road. Another entrance is from Galloway Drive.
So, as you wander through Braeburn Park remember its past. Think of the market gardens and the quarrying. Appreciate the dedication that transformed it into a nature reserve. A place where wildlife thrives and people connect with nature.