Restricted access - Birdbrook Nature Reserve

Butterflies

A secluded reserve in Kidbrooke, nestled among the bustle of the city is one of London’s most important strongholds for newts.

Location

114 Birdbrook Road

Kidbrooke

SE3 9QP

Know before you go

Size

1 hectare

Parking information

Street parking in surrounding streets

Grazing animals

Access

There is only access to this nature reserve on special event days, or by arrangement with the site manager.

The entrance is in Birdbrook Road, just north of the A2 road bridge. Kidbrooke Rail Station is 10 minutes' walk away, where a footbridge from Park Terrace leads to the footpath that runs alongside the reserve.

Dogs

Guide dogs only

When to visit

Opening times

The site is gated and usually closed.

Best time to visit

April to August

About the reserve

This surprisingly tranquil and biodiverse oasis sits between the A2 Rochester Way Relief Road and a residential street. It comprises grassland, scrub and six ponds, plus an array of amphibian life, all situated on a former brownfield site. Rocky banks of broken concrete that are remnants of the reserve’s industrial past provide ideal basking habitat for lizards. Birdbrook also boasts a diverse range of plant and insect species.

History of Birdbrook Nature Reserve

The site was originally a Ministry of Defence property with workshops for repairing military vehicles and field gun carriages. Its wildlife value as a brownfield site increased and then-site owners British Telecom granted a management licence to the Trust in 1982. A new road scheme was proposed in the mid-1990s and the site was acquired by the Department for Transport to make it happen, but volunteers from the Greenwich group of the Trust met with the government and ensured the open water lost to the scheme was recreated elsewhere. The Rochester Way Relief Road was built, but Birdbrook survived and continues to provide a valuable wildlife habitat.