17.

South London Clays & Gravels

Key plan
17. South London Clays & Gravels

Description
The South London Clays and Gravels is an extensive Natural
Landscape Area that incorporates parts of 9 boroughs - Kingston,
Sutton, Merton, Wandsworth, Croydon, Lambeth, Bromley, Southwark
& Lewisham. It extends south and west from Deptford towards
Streatham and New Malden. It is bordered by two river systems, the

© OS BASE MAP CROWN COPYRIGHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED NATURAL ENGLAND 100046223 2009
Wandle (NLA 16) and the Ravensbourne (NLA 8) to the east and west,
and by the North Downs Lower Dip Slope (NLA 21) to the south.

The whole area is underlain by London Clay, but in places (Crystal

Palace and Chessington) the Clay is capped by the younger, more
resistant strata of the Claygate Member to form ridges. At Crystal
Palace the ridge is particularly prominent and extends north–south
from Forest Hill to Upper Norwood, with superb views across to the
Isle of Dogs and the City and, to the south, to Croydon and the North
Downs. To the south of this ridge, the older rocks of the Harwich
Formation (pebbly beds) and the gravelly sands and clays of the
Lambeth Group crop out in the Thornton Heath and Carshalton
areas. This out crop does not correspond to an obvious variation in
landform, but the sandy soils associated with the Lambeth Group tend
to support heathland and this is also suggested by some local place
names. The oldest rocks are in the Deptford area to the north, where
an exposure of the Thanet Sand Formation and small inliers of Lewes
Nodular Chalk Formation are surrounded by sands/gravels from the 17. South London Clays & Gravels
Lambeth Group. Again there is no significant change in landform, but
the extensive gravel deposits here, and also in the Clapham/Tooting
areas to the west, moved downslope by hill wash and solifluction
processes, depositing Head alongside the flooded river corridors
of the Thames and the Wandle, generally as a result of melting
permafrost.

98 London’s Natural Signatures: The London Regional Landscape Framework / April 2010
Alan Baxter
REPRODUCED FROM THE BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MAP DATA AT THE ORIGINAL SCALE OF 1:50,000.

© OS BASE MAP CROWN COPYRIGHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED NATURAL ENGLAND 100046223 2009
LICENSE 2006/072J BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. © NERC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: ENVIRONMENT AGENCY DATA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: ENGLISH HERITAGE DATA

17. South London Clays & Gravels

Geology Rivers and Topography Historic Development

The settlement pattern is varied, ranging from open countryside

and farmland in the south west to dense residential, industrial and
commercial developments to the north and east. The two oldest key
settlement cores are at Croydon and South Clapham. Elsewhere most
built development dates from the Victorian period and the boom in
residential development which followed the growth of the railways,
although south of Peckham Rye, extending to Streatham Vale, the
housing stock is predominantly interwar suburbia. There are high
rise tower buildings in areas that suffered particularly heavy bomb
damage in the Second World War and a particularly dense complex of
sewage works and heavy industry at Beddington.

Whilst the Malden Ruston area to the south west is surrounded

by open countryside and farmland, the majority of the landscape
type is densely developed, and the open space matrix consists of
a fragmented network of historic commons, public parks, playing
fields and golf courses maintained as amenity grassland. There are
also fragmented small patches of native woodland and hedgerows,
typically along railway sidings and in some parks.

Alan Baxter London’s Natural Signatures: The London Regional Landscape Framework / April 2010 99
 Natural Signature and
natural landscape features
Natural Stignature: Burgess Park
South London Clays and Gravels – Small hedged meadows and
large heathy commons set against a backdrop of extensive
Clapham Brockwell
woodlands on higher land.
Common Park
Wandsworth Balham
The Great North Wood was an exceptionally dense forest, recorded
Common Railway
in the Domesday Book, which once extended from Selhurst/Elmers
Embankments
End northwards towards what is now Upper Norwood, Forest Hill Tooting Dulwich &
Common Sydenham
and Hatcham/Deptford. By the 17th century significant parts of it
Hill Woods
were Common Land, and little now remains, but fragments of ancient
woodland on higher land provide core areas of valuable habitat which

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: GIGL DATA

could be a priority for future woodland planting. The network of
woodlands, hedgerows, small meadows and field ponds at Tolworth
17. South London Clays & Gravels

Court Farm Fields indicates the likely scale and character of farmland
surrounding the woodlands and the floodplain meadows and
woodlands in the Hogsmill Valley Nature Reserve suggests how the South Norwood
Mitcham Country Park
landscape pattern would have varied along river valleys. Common

© OS BASE MAP CROWN COPYRIGHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED NATURAL ENGLAND 100046223 2009
This is obviously a snapshot in time, but it suggests the character Hogsmill
River Valley Morden
of the rural landscape during the period before urbanisation and it
Tolworth Cemetery
provides a set of references to inform the Natural Signature of this
Court Farm
extensive area.
Fields &
Medieval
Examples of natural landscape features within the South London Clays Moated
and Gravels Natural Landscape Area are: Manor

• Dulwich and Sydenham Hill Woods – The largest remnant of the

historic Great North Wood and one of the closest ancient woodland The
to central London. Mostly sessile oak-hornbeam woodland, with a Meadowlands
wide variety of other tree and shrub species, including numerous Rushett
exotics planted when the wood included parts of large gardens. The Common
flora includes numerous indicators of long-established woodland;
wood anemone, lily-of-the-valley and hairy wood-rush. Two
ponds contain aquatic vegetation and support amphibians and
Natural Habitats & Landscape Key Features
dragonflies.

100 London’s Natural Signatures: The London Regional Landscape Framework / April 2010
Alan Baxter
• Hogsmill Valley – This Local Nature Reserve encompasses the • Morden Cemetery – This cemetery contains areas of flower-rich
entire Hogsmill river corridor from Berrylands rail station south neutral grassland, very rare in London and once supporting the only
to Malden Lane, comprising a varied mosaic of relict floodplain colony of green-winged orchid in London.
habitats. The majority of the valley is open species-rich grassland,
but there are also small pockets of willow woodland over sedge • Rushett Common – This site includes two tracts of woodland
beds, which support one of London’s few populations of slender alongside the A243 from Malden Rushett south to London’s
tufted-sedge. The Hogsmill, a chalk stream, has a diverse aquatic boundary with Surrey. The woodland consists mostly of
flora here including horned pondweed and a well established fish pedunculate and sessile oaks, with yellow archangel and woodruff
community. The specially protected water vole is also present. in the ground flora. West of the road, the site also includes areas of
scrub and grassland, with common gorse and heath bedstraw.
• Tolworth Court Farm Fields and Medieval Moated Manor –
A large area of farmland, with a field system of pastures, hedgerows • Mitcham Common – A large common consisting mainly of
and woodland. The site also includes the remains of a medieval acid grassland and secondary woodland, with some interesting
moated manor house, where there are important wetland habitats. wetlands and several small but important areas of heathland. The
This large area of relict farmland comprises a field system of both heath communities are degraded but notable for the abundance
grazed and ungrazed pastures, hedgerows and small blocks of of the London rarity dwarf gorse, marking them as intermediate
secondary woodland. There are varied examples of grassland in composition between the heathlands of East Anglia and central

17. South London Clays & Gravels

management, with some fields retaining species indicative of old southern England.
hay meadows and damper fields supporting dense rush beds. The
• Balham Railway Embankments – The Wandsworth area has a
hedge network is very old, with several veteran oak pollards present.
particularly complex criss-crossing network of railways, partly due to
Several small areas of woodland have developed from these
the location of Clapham Junction. This adds up to a substantial area
hedgerows, and consist predominantly of oak and elm. The ancient
of natural habitat and provides important wildlife corridors linking
trackway of Cox Lane traverses the site, adding further historical
the various commons and major wildlife sites together. Much of the
interest. The remains of the moat form a large overgrown pond,
habitat is a mix of native and non-native broadleaved woodland
overhung by willows and other wetland plants.
and roughland, with frequent patches of regenerating elm scrub
• The Meadowlands – A small area of species-rich chalk grassland and bracken. The embankments either side of Balham station are
preserved within a housing estate. The turf supports an covered in dense scrub, mostly of bramble with stands of tall herbs
extraordinary diversity of plants, including bee and pyramidal and coppiced sycamore.
orchid.

Alan Baxter London’s Natural Signatures: The London Regional Landscape Framework / April 2010 101
 • Tooting Common – A large open space with three extensive areas Underlining the natural signature of the
of woodland (Bedford Hill, Streatham Hill and Tooting Graveney South London Clays and Gravels
Woods) and relict acid grassland. The woodland is dominated by
oak, with a range of other trees including hornbeam and several Key influences
fine veteran oaks. The acid grasslands are dominated by common • Fragments of ancient woodland, particularly on elevated land
bent and red fescue, with pockets of gorse and bramble scrub. There characterised by sessile oak in remnants of the Great North Wood. .
are also several wetland habitats including a lake, a reedbed and a
seasonal pond. • More extensive secondary native woodlands.
• Networks of dense hedgerows with hedgerow trees enclosing small
• Brockwell Park – A large and valuable open space serving Brixton, meadows and pastures.
Herne Hill, Tulse Hill and beyond. It combines a variety of formal
recreational facilities with large areas of open parkland, woodland • Wildflower meadows with orchids.
and ponds. • Managed hay meadows.

The wetland features include a series of small ponds linked by a • Ponds with marginal vegetation and wet grasslands with rush beds
tributary of the River Effra on the western boundary of the park. On on floodplains.
the banks of the stream are yellow iris, fool’s water-cress, pendulous • Heathy commons with scrub, gorse and acid grassland.
17. South London Clays & Gravels

sedge, great willowherb and hemlock water-dropwort. In the

• Green lanes.
grassland around the stream grow cuckooflower and patches of
sweet vernal-grass. The main habitat in the park is close-mown
grassland, but the area of rough or meadow grassland has been Design clues
gradually extended over time. There are fine examples of native Ideas for place making and shaping future design decisions - how
trees in the park including two mature oaks in the south-east, which the Natural Signatures for each natural landscape area might be
seem to belong to an old field boundary. expressed within the wider public realm, through new development
and landscape management projects.
• Dulwich Upper Wood – A small fragment of ancient oak woodland,
surrounded by secondary woodland of oak, sycamore, lime and • Belts of native woodland on higher land as a backdrop to local
ash, with a good variety of other trees and shrubs. Ground flora views.
in the ancient part includes wood anemone, bluebell and yellow • Street trees planted close together, particularly on upper slopes.
pimpernel. Fungi are particularly well recorded, with over 200
species noted. • Copses and areas of woodland at gateways and as focal points
within new developments.
• South Norwood Country Park – This site, a former sewage farm, • Hedgerows with groups of hedgerow trees, as boundaries within
has been developed as a country park by the London Borough of built areas and extending out into adjacent greenspaces.
Croydon. It contains a large area of wet grassland, bramble scrub
and hedges. A large lake has been created, and two tributaries of the • Small meadows and varied grasslands – managed under different
River Ravensbourne also cross the site. mowing regimes.
• Hedged green lanes and pathways bordered on one side by a hedge
with hedgerow trees.
• Strings of small ponds (rather than large, simple flood attenuation
basins) which form a focus for intimate, small-scale damp meadows
and grasslands.

102 London’s Natural Signatures: The London Regional Landscape Framework / April 2010
Alan Baxter
South London Clays & Gravels
– Key environmental assets

Environmental Asset Relevant borough Notes Environmental Asset Relevant borough Notes
Dulwich and Sydenham Southwark Last surviving part of the Great North Wood. Wandsworth Cemetery Wandsworth Dominated by neutral grassland with scattered
Hill Woods trees.

Hogsmill Valley Kingston upon Thames Local Nature Reserve encompasses entire river Brockwell Park Lambeth Predominantly open parkland, but includes areas
corridor; majority is species-rich grassland. of wetland linked by a tributary of River Effra.

Hogsmill Valley Sewage Kingston upon Thames Includes active sewage works; several areas of tall Streatham Common Lambeth Grassland and formal gardens at the Rookery.
Works and Hogsmill River herb and scrub.
Sydenham Hill and West Southwark Woodland dominated by sycamore, but also
Tolworth Court Farm Fields Kingston upon Thames Large area of farmland with mosaic of farmland, Dulwich Railsides includes some ash and oak species; structure is
and Medieval Moated hedgerows and woodlands. less good further north.
Manor
Grove Park Cuttings and Southwark Cuttings support good woodland with shrub
The Meadowlands Kingston upon Thames Species-rich grassland maintained within a Peckham Rye to East Dulwich layer and areas of roughland.
housing estate. Railsides

17. South London Clays & Gravels

Rushett Common Kingston upon Thames Two roadside tracts of land supporting oak Dulwich Upper Wood Southwark Small fragment of ancient oak woodland
woodland. surrounded by secondary woodland of mixed
native species.
Mitcham Common Croydon, Merton Large common consisting predominantly
of acid grassland and secondary woodland; South Norwood Croydon Former sewage farm developed as country park;
exceptionally diverse invertebrate fauna. Country Park contains large areas of wet grassland, scrub and
hedges; large lake connected to tributaries of
Morden Cemetery Merton Flower-rich grassland; supports only colony of River Ravensbourne.
green-winged orchid in London.
Crystal Palace Park Bromley Victorian pleasure ground; former site of the
Balham Railway Wandsworth Links together many patches of habitat, acting as Crystal Palace and its grounds. Good views
Embankments a valuable system of corridors. towards London; many species of plant; rats and
parakeets also present.
Clapham Common Wandsworth Some ponds of conservation interest; area
(Wandsworth section) of exotic woodland supports diverse bird Biggin Woods Croydon Small area of deciduous woodland, a remnant of
populations. the Great North Wood

Wandsworth Common Wandsworth Mosaic of secondary woodlands and acid Grangewood Park Croydon Park containing fragment of ancient woodland,
grassland; also areas of neutral grassland. once part of the Great North Wood

Tooting Common Wandsworth Three extensive ares of woodland dominated by Beaulieu Heights Croydon Ancient woodland, formerly a part of the Great
oak species. North Wood
The Lawns Croydon Woodland developed from parkland including
some old oak pollards

Alan Baxter London’s Natural Signatures: The London Regional Landscape Framework / April 2010 103