Crossness Nature Reserve

One of the many ponds in Crossness Nature Reserve

Crossness Nature Reserve is a 25.5 hectare local nature reserve in Crossness in the London Borough of Bexley.[1][2] It is part of the Erith Marshes Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.[3] The site is adjacent to Crossness Sewage Treatment Works; the works form the reserve's western boundary. It was created under a planning condition (Section 106 agreement) in 1994 and is owned and managed by Thames Water.[1][4][5][6] At the northern edge of the reserve is a waste management facility owned and operated by Cory.

Crossness is part of the original Thames floodplain called Erith Marshes.[7][8] It is one of the few remaining areas of grazing marsh in London, and it has the largest reedbeds in Bexley. It also has ponds and ditches, and areas of scrub and rough grassland.[9] It is a major site for water voles, and 130 species of birds have been recorded, together with some rare invertebrates, including five species of water beetles and one of the UK's rarest wild bumblebee species, the Shrill Carder bee.[10] Scarce plants include Borrer's saltmarsh grass and frog rush, a species that was previously thought to be extinct in Kent.[1][8][11]

There are footpaths through the eastern part of the site, accessed from Norman Road and Eastern Way, but the western part is closed to the public.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crossness Nature Reserve.
  1. ^ a b c "Crossness". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 4 March 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  2. ^ "Map of Crossness". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  3. ^ "Erith Marshes". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Crossness Nature Reserve | Days out". Thames Water. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  5. ^ "Thames Water's Crossness Nature Reserve". Bexley Local Group. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  6. ^ "Thames Water Utilities Limited" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  7. ^ "Experience". experience.arcgis.com. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  8. ^ a b "Crossness Nature Reserve". Wild Travel Magazine. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  9. ^ "Crossness Nature Reserve". Thames Water. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  10. ^ "Bug-catchers abuzz after spotting UK's rarest bee in Thamesmead". News Shopper. 2019-08-20. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  11. ^ "Juncus Ranarius" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-04-28.