Riddlesdown SSSI
Know before you go
Dogs
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all timesBest time to visit
April to SeptemberAbout the reserve
Riddlesdown nature reserve is a small enclosed area of a wooded slope that forms part of a much larger area of the Riddlesdown Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); mostly owned and managed by the City of London Corporation. Riddlesdown supports the largest single expanse of old calcareous scrub in London. The Trust’s reserve within it consists of a pocket of chalk grassland surrounded by a mosaic of chalk scrub of hawthorn, dogwood, hazel and whitebeam, with a developing woodland of yew, sycamore and ash. It is a valuable habitat for birds and invertebrates.
History of Riddlesdown SSSI
Thousands of years of human activity on Riddlesdown have left a range of features, including earthworks, old trackways and a Roman road. At one time common land, it was threatened with enclosure following the opening of the nearby railway in the 1850s and following the efforts of a local family, City of London Corporation purchased most of the site in 1883 for public benefit. In more recent times, livestock have grazed pasture and kept open the characteristic downland landscape. The Trust acquired the reserve in 1999 from the British Railways Board.
Management of Riddlesdown SSSI
The chalk grassland is cut each year in late summer to prevent scrub encroachment. The majority of Riddlesdown SSSI, managed by City of London Corporation rangers, is subject to grazing, hay-making and rotational coppicing. Facilities at Riddlesdown SSSI There are no public facilities available in the reserve. The wider Riddlesdown SSSI area has paved footpaths, wayfinding signs and a car park.
Status of Riddlesdown SSSI
Within a SSSI, Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, Metropolitan Green Belt
Volunteer with Riddlesdown SSSI's team
Contact Simon Hawkins via email shawkins@wildlondon.org.uk to find out more.
Get involved at Riddlesdown SSSI
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Festive Needle Felt Decoration Making - Croydon
Join us for a festive evening of craft - make your own butterfly decoration(s) using simple needle felt techniques.
Festive Needle Felt Decoration Making - Croydon
Join us for a festive evening of craft - make your own butterfly decoration(s) using simple needle felt techniques.
Winter Walk - Hutchinson's Bank
Join the Brilliant Butterflies team for a guided winter walk on Hutchinson's Bank Nature Reserve.