Birdbrook Nature Reserve credit James Cracknell
Birdbrook Nature Reserve credit Jack Hughes
Restricted access - Birdbrook Nature Reserve
Location
Know before you go
Parking information
Street parking in surrounding streetsGrazing animals
NoAccess
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
When to visit
Opening times
The site is gated and usually closed.Best time to visit
April to AugustAbout 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.
Status of Birdbrook Nature Reserve
Designated as a Site of Metropolitan Importance.
