Lavender Pond facts for kids
Lavender Pond is a special place in Rotherhithe, London. It's a 2.5-acre area that's protected as a local nature reserve. This means it's a safe home for plants and animals, right in the city! The local government, called Southwark Council, owns it, and a group called The Conservation Volunteers helps take care of it. The reserve has a lovely pond and a peaceful woodland area.
A Look Back in Time
This nature reserve is built on what used to be part of the huge Surrey Commercial Docks. Imagine a very busy port where ships brought in lots of goods! The pond you see today is just a tiny piece of a much bigger pond from the past. Long ago, this larger pond was used to float timber (wood) to stop it from drying out and cracking.
In 1928, the entrance to the old pond was blocked. This happened when the Port of London Authority, which managed the docks, built a special building called the Pumphouse. This Pumphouse helped control the water levels in all the Surrey Docks.
The docks eventually closed down in 1970. After that, the area became a bit neglected, and the pond was even filled in. But good news! In 1981, people decided to bring the pond back to life. They re-created it as part of a new nature reserve, giving wildlife a home again.
Nature's Home at Lavender Pond
Lavender Pond is a wonderful spot for nature. It has a small pond where different kinds of wildlife can live. There are also wet meadows, which are grassy areas that stay damp, and many native trees have been planted in the woodland.
This reserve isn't just for animals and plants. It's also a peaceful place for people who live nearby to enjoy nature. It's used as an educational resource too! Some parts of the reserve are left completely untouched so nature can thrive without disturbance. Other areas are used by schoolchildren who come to learn about the environment and wildlife.
Visiting Lavender Pond
You can easily visit Lavender Pond because it doesn't have fences around it. There are entrances from Lavender Road and Salter Road. However, the woodland part of the reserve is usually kept locked, so there's no public access to that specific area.
