Monken Hadley Common
Monken Hadley Common is a long, thin area of woodland and village green stretching out to the east of Monken Hadley, at the edge of Middlesex.
The common is listed as a conservation site by the local council.[1] It is registered common land, and it is owned by the Trustees of Monken Hadley Common.[2]
The common is a large area of about 178 acres between Monken Hadley and Cockfosters; it is a mile and a half long and wedge shaped: half a mile wide at the Monken Hadley end and tapering to a point at the Cockfosters end.
Access
There is access from Camlet Way, Parkgate Crescent, Covert Way, Games Road, Northfield Road, Baring Road (via Pymmes Brook Trail), Bakers Hill, and Hadley Common. The London Loop and Pymmes Brook Trail pass through the common.
History
The common is a remnant of the former Royal Forest of Enfield Chase, which was enclosed by the Enfield Chase Act 1777 (17 Geo. 3. c. 17).[3] A small part was allotted to the village of Monken Hadley, and this is the only land which has remained as a common. Until the 1950s, the commoners exercised their rights to use the land for grazing.[4] The common is bisected by the East Coast Main Railway Line.
Habitat
The common is mostly wooded, dominated by pedunculate oak, with some hornbeam, beech and field maples. Holly forms a dense understorey in some places, while elsewhere a more diverse shrub layer includes Midland hawthorn and hazel. Several ground flora species are ancient woodland indicators, suggesting that fragments have survived from before the time when the common was managed as wood-pasture. Butterflies include white-letter and purple hairstreaks, and there are breeding birds such as sparrowhawk and tawny owl.
Beech Hill Lake (or Jack's Lake) was formed by damming Pymme's Brook. It is managed for angling[5] but supports common waterfowl and Daubenton's bats use it for feeding, foraging low over the water. Two smaller ponds have a much richer flora and abundant amphibians, which attract grass snakes.
Location map
- Location map: 51°39’35"N, 0°10’39"W
Pictures
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Monken Hadley Common) |
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Monken Hadley Common -
Eastern gate to the Common, Cockfosters -
Jack's Lake -
Pymme's Brook
Outside links
References
- Hewlett, Janet (1997). Nature Conservation in Barnet. London Ecology Unit. ISBN 1-871045-27-4.