MINUTES OF AVERY HILL FRIENDS AGM 9 OCTOBER 2020
 
Those present (by Zoom); John Webb (chair); Cllr Greenwell (treasurer), Ollie Davies, Trevor Davies, Francis Lee, Paul McQuillen, Pat and Peter Richardson, Bee Twidale, Stephanie Ward.
 

1. Apologies: Councillor Fletcher
2. Minutes of last year's AGM (to follow) Agreed.
3. Annual accounts (to follow) Pat reported the Friends now had £2,674 in the bank
4. Election of officers and committee for 2020-21: As before
5. Winter Garden/Harris application, brief resume. JW reported that the Harris plans had been approved subject to numerous conditions. The campaign felt it had achieved a wide range of improvements to the application and would be working closely to monitor the conditions, particularly in relation to the travel plan and hall flooring and pursue the opening up of the northern arch of West Lodge, possibly as a s106; the campaign would also try to engage with the council over implementation of the Winter Garden renovation and the evolution of a business plan which would make the most of the integration of the Winter Garden and the Mansion.
6. Park cafe: potential applicants had been shown around the cafe, two of which were known to us and were both credible candidates. There was a need to develop and improve the cafe to keep step with the park's raised status and potential opening of the Winter Garden as a positive attraction.
7. Tree planting programme 2020-21: it was proposed to replace six of the avenue trees which had failed to thrive and to continue with the south field woodland project. One problem was that our funding sources from Parksfest and the Mayor's grant scheme had dried up. SW suggested an approach to the New Eltham Co-op, this to be pursued in their next application window.
8. Mowing regime/creation of wildflower area/Henley's Meadow: this had been a source of frustration and the chair had made a complaint over its handling. This resulted in a positive reaction and the offer of a meeting on site this Wednesday. Our concerns included the lack of amenity grass being considered, the proposal for bi-monthly mowing of Henley's Meadow and the need to identify a wildflower area. TD shared with the committee a map compiled by John Martin which looked at the ecology and history of the park and outlined his plans for enhancing the Shuttle tributary and associated woodland and hedgerows. It is agreed that he would pursue these with Parks after Wednesday's meeting on mowing and that efforts be made to recruit more volunteers to help implement them. It was proposed and agreed to recruit volunteers to help with the wildflower planting in the spring and to seek volunteers to help with this.
9. Tree art: the recommended tree artist says he has a diary slot for February which JW said he would try to firm up.
10. AOB: PMcQ raised the issue of flooding on the path to the south; possible ways to alleviate this would be to widen the unmown area adjacent to improve moisture retention and to deepen the channel against the boundary with the University.
    SW suggested bluebell planting in the woodland areas (TD to add to plans)
    JW welcomed Ollie to the team.
    JW said the Friends website had been overhauled and would be a useful tool for communications in the future.
    JW said that he hoped to produce a PowerPoint presentation on the work done on and plans for the terrace garden and that both this and some of the landscaping around the Winter Garden needed to be up-graded to play a part in the overall attraction of the site in an integrated way.
    

The Friends' successfully completed their winter tree planting campaign on 14 March, with help from the 40th Blackheath Scouts. 

Six species of trees indigenous to the UK were added to the south field of Avery Hill: oak, hornbeam, birch, hawthorn, field maple and pine.  These add to the 600 trees already planted in the emerging woodland area.

The winter tree planting programme also saw additional and replacement trees planted alongside Avery Hill Road and the new arboretum area.  These improvements were made possible thanks to a grant from the Mayor of London's tree planting scheme and fundraising by the Friends group.

Mature trees at Avery Hill, many dating back to the planting of Victorian magnate Colonel North, have given protected status.
The 19 trees have been added to the list of trees protected at Avery Hill after an application to the council from the Winter Garden campaign group.
They include pines, oak, beech and limes which help to give the area its unique character, having been built by Col North in the 1890s and converted for education in the early 20th century.

The Avery Hill campaign group is also seeking conservation status for the Mansion site and adjacent parkland in advance of consideration of plans to create a 1,100 student boys’ secondary school on the site.  The government and Harris are expected to give more details of their plans later in the spring with a projected opening in September 2022.
Trees which are already subject to protection are six within the Winter Garden itself and 14 others across the site.
Although developers can remove trees given Tree Preservation Orders, they need specific permission and may be subjected to conditions.

As you know, a key aspect of tackling climate change, improving air quality, supporting our birds and other wildlife, and thereby our physical and mental health, is to have the right trees and other greenery in precious green spaces like Avery Hill Park.  To this end, and with your support, The Friends have undertaken many ‘greening’ projects around the Park including:

• Several annual rounds of tree planting in the park.
  
• Avenue of grey alders and limes running from Avery Hill Road.
  
• Arboretum: each side of the avenue have been planted with a variety of unusual species, including Davidia; Catalpa, Paulownia; Cedar; mulberry; holm oak; wild service and species of pine.
• Fringing the park with pools of new native trees against Avery Hill Road and alongside the new footpath on the south side.
  
• A semi-circular display of magnolias between the new avenue and the Winter Garden.
  
• Woodland: In the last four years, 600 native whips have been planted on the south field, starting a new woodland. The Friends hope to populate the whole field with trees, with amenity spaces and walks running through.
• Hedgerow: A 70m hedgerow was planted in the park’s north west corner in 2015, comprising ‘fruit trees’ to help provide food for birds over the winter, including birch, sorbus, cherry and euonymus.
• Terrace Garden: This garden, which is next to the car park, was part of Col North’s 1890 mansion design.
• Recently neglected, the Friends have now re-planted shrub beds, climbing roses, rose arches, creating a new entrance to the park. We’ve also planted rows of wildlife friendly buddleia and lavender and annual wildflower seeds.

We will keep you updated on future projects and clearly we also welcome your continued support.

January 2020

1. Latest on the Harris Academy plans
2. Campaign applies for Conservation area status
3. Protecting valuable trees
4. Winter Garden restoration

Guided tours of historic Avery Hill Mansion on Saturday January 18 and 25 and February 2 and 9 at 2pm. University archivist Will Robley will show the interior of Col North’s ballroom, galleries and old pictures. Guided tours of Avery Hill. Event now ended.  Please find a summary of the tours.

If you’re able to give support to the campaign, please email [email protected]
 
1.  HARRIS ACADEMY PLANS: We are expecting detailed proposals in the New Year from the DfE/Harris for a 1,100 all-boys Academy. The campaign’s concerns are about traffic, design, access to the park, landscape, boundaries and school-run congestion. We have suggested Avery Hill becomes a ‘conservation area’ to protect its special character.

2.  MANSION: The Academy is proposing to take over the listed Victorian parts of the Mansion. The campaign wants community use of these in conjunction with the Winter Garden.

To ensure Avery Hill’s historic legacy is saved for the local community, we need to show how much we care. In the next few weeks, we hope you can support the campaign.
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We will be in touch as events develop.
 
3.  WINTER GARDEN: The campaign is pleased that the council has secured a promise of substantial funds from the University from the sale price. This should allow its proper restoration but the campaign is concerned that there will be enough income to maintain it. The council has promised an ‘options’ consultation on this and a business plan.

4.  TREES: The campaign is asking for a substantial number of the mature trees on the University’s land to be subject to Tree Protection Orders.

 
3,744 names to date. Please circulate:
Google: 38 degrees: Save and renovate Avery Hill's Victorian Mansion and Winter Garden

Blog updated 05/03 (T Johnson)

SAHWG PUBLIC MEETING SUMMARY, HELD AT ELTHAM WARREN GOLF CLUB, 7.30PM MONDAY 21.10.19
 
Over 100 people attended the SAHWG public meeting on Monday evening, expressing the depth of their interest in, and concern for, the future of the Winter Garden and the wider Mansion site. This summarises the main points made at that meeting under the three headings we used in our response to the Council's consultation exercise.
 
1) Saving the Winter Garden
 
The meeting welcomed the considerable progress made since the last public meeting held in July 2017. The Council is well advanced in its negotiations to take back ownership of the Winter Garden, and you have been eminently successful in persuading the University of Greenwich to make a significant financial contribution to support its restoration and development. The meeting received positively the news that the Council is committed to working with local residents and community groups, as well as experts, in bringing the heritage assets back into sustainable use and in developing a plan of action to maximise their potential. The meeting felt that the success of the Winter Garden in the future would be determined by its impact and utility as a historical, cultural, recreational, educational and events asset. Members of the audience argued for community representation, alongside appropriate experts, on a Winter Garden-specific trust, if that were to be the vehicle for future governance and management.

2) Links with the Historic Mansion Site
 
The meeting pressed the need for a physical and integrated connection between the Winter Garden and the listed parts of the Mansion site, allowing public access to, and community use of, their proud heritage. This linkage would need to transcend the impending split in ownership between the Winter Garden, on the one hand, and the Mansion site, on the other, with the implications of that split for future planning and management. The meeting recognised the imperative for SAHWG to be involved in the maximum level of pre-application consultation, both with the DfE and the Council, so that the case for the Winter Garden's linkage with the listed features of the Mansion site is presented and addressed at the earliest possible stage.

3) Impact of the school on the heritage of the historic Mansion site and the integrity of the park
 
Local residents expressed deep apprehension about the impact of increased traffic, inevitably caused by the location of the new school, on local parking conditions (the problems are currently massive, with one school already located in the immediate vicinity). The meeting raised the potential problem of access to Avery Hill park, given that the main access road from Bexley Road cuts directly through the space to be developed by the school. Those present argued that the design and construction of the school should be in harmony with the historic buildings and the ambience of the site. The meeting articulated its misgivings over frequent or daily usage of quality heritage assets by young students and the inevitable damage to these over time.
SAHWG and local residents look forward to working closely with the Council on the way forward.

​Our park comes to life at the weekend, with the Saturday morning fun run and the children’s football coaching. It’s great to see the park full of folk having fun and keeping fit. The summer will see more people making use of the outdoor Table Tennis and the two Cricket “tables”.

In the 1890’s Colonel North realised the full potential for sport at Avery Hill. A good sprinter in his youth, North regularly challenged the Tower Hamlets Volunteers; on their annual camp at Avery Hill, to a 60 yard dash. He gave everyone a 5 yard start but would always win! (John Bennion Booth -1957) Booth also quotes that North was a keen football player; I’m not sure which team he supported but Colonel North, ever generous, sent a bank-note to a West Bromwich Albion player injured in the cup final played against Crystal Palace in 1896.

Last month I wrote about the Winter Gardens, Colonel North’s stables and heating system. Colonel North loved extravagance and impressing everyone who visited his mansion! Starting at the west entrance gate and lodge; visitors to the mansion, arriving at the front door cannot have failed to be impressed by the building Col. North commissioned from his architect Thomas William Cutler in 1888. In September 1889 the Express newspaper commented ”Colonel North is amusing himself building an enormous residence, half barracks, half Crystal Palace, at Eltham.” Quote from The Nitrate King by William Edmundson. North thought Cutler had seriously overspent and took him to court. In 1891 the court found in favour of Cutler and North had to pay costs!

​The mansion continues to impress to this day; there’s room to alight at the front door from your carriage without getting rained on! You won’t even need a brolly! The impressive mahogany front doors are embellished with Lion’s heads.  The University run regular conducted tours; so seek one out and experience the delights once enjoyed by North’s rich guests!

The rich and famous would have once be able to cross the threshold onto the mosaic floor installed by Italian workmen. Turning to your right you would have been able to make your tour through what is at present the Uni. library. Once North’s sculpture gallery, it is lined with red marble. Moving into the main library area; look out for the portraits of the North family and the minstrel’s gallery. This gallery is made of a rare Mexican onyx.

​I wonder if these two lovely rooms will be preserved intact by the future owners? We’ll have to wait and see! 

At the west end of the Uni. library look out for the bricked up archways; these used to lead into the Winter Gardens. The rich and famous would once have progressed through here to the tropical house, now rather derelict, into the temperate house where you can see the largest indoor example (60 foot at the crown) of a Canary Island Palm. Next into the cold house with the statue of Galatea; re-entering the main house via the drawing room.
Many of the rich and famous took this tour, including the Prince of Wales. For his visit he arrived by train; alighting at Eltham Park station. The platform was graced with a glass roof for the occasion! Alas the station no longer exists but the entrance can still be seen adjacent to the motorway bridge in Westmount Road. Those were the days!

​Apologies to you all for sending you on a wild goose chase last month; the wild mushrooms were few and far between, I was hard put too to find even honey fungus! My preparations for these nature notes always involve a walk around the park in the last few days of the previous month. This year, inspite of the winds, there are still plenty of leaves on the trees. Some are even still green! No doubt it’s the effect of global warming again! We’ve had a couple of hard frosts (November 21/22nd) so that should encourage the trees to shed their leaves. As usual the Caucasian Wing-nut, on the “MUGA” corner of the avenue beside the huge Holly hedge, is still delaying putting on any autumn colour and shedding its leaves.

​Last December’s nature notes featured the Thrush family winter migrants, Fieldfare and Redwing. So far this year there’s been no sight of them; we have a glut of berries so presumably there’s a plentiful supply of berries for them not to need to migrate to find ours! Keep a look out for them when the days get colder. The Robins are singing their winter song; you can usually find Robins out and about near the council shipping containers and in the Italianate (Rose) Garden. The numbers of gulls foraging on the playing fields are increasing; look out for the smaller (not so) Common Gull with its green legs. The Crow numbers are building up too but we’ve still along way to go before we rival the numbers of gulls and crows on Plumstead Common!

​There are still a few wildflowers in bloom in sheltered places; Dead Nettle and Yarrow. They both have white flowers: I wonder if there’s any significance in that?

Progress on the sale of the Mansion and Winter Garden seems to have gone rather quiet! Rumour has it that one education “Academy” has pulled out but another has been found. Who knows? We’ll have to wait and see!

Don’t forget to come along to the park café for their Christmas celebration on December 12th, 2.00 to 4.00. Our old favourites the Eldorado Players will be entertaining and rumour has it that Father Christmas will be there with mulled wine and mince pies. See you there!

As I write this month’s nature notes, it’s the last week in October, I can see an oak tree; still a glorious green! My thoughts about the trees starting their Autumn earlier than usual this year have been confounded!

Which-ever direction you take for your walks around the park this month, keep a look out for the fungi. October was so dry that there were not many about; so provided we do not have too many frosts they should be popping up all over the place. My favourite is a woodland one, Fly Agaric. This is the classic poisonous one of fairy stories; red with white blotches on the cup. Sorry I can’t guarantee there will be an elf perched on top! We do have a few poisonous fungi varieties in the UK and our pharmacies don’t provide specialist advice in the way they do in Switzerland; so my best advice is to look, take a photo but don’t pick! If you find anything unusual please let us know. So far recorded in the park are: Bracket Fungus, Honey Fungus, Jelly Ear, Puff Ball, Shaggy Ink Cap, Field Mushrooms and Fairies Bonnets. Good hunting!

​On the “twitching” front, our summer migrant birds should all have flown south by now; off to warmer climes! However as the temperature drops we do have our winter visitors to look forward to. In the mean time we’ll have to put up with our resident birds. The Starlings seem to have had a good year and there are small flocks of them about. Green Woodpeckers are around probing the grass with their long beaks and of course there’s our old friend the Robin still singing its wintry song and reminding us Christmas is not so very far away!

The latest news on the University selling the Mansion site is that the “Preferred Buyer” has pulled out. So we are not about to be another educational academy after all and it’s back to square one for Greenwich University’s “sale of the century”!
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We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear of any further developments.

The park is looking splendid this month with the hedges festooned with berries. Folklore maintains that this will herald a hard winter. I wonder? What it definitely tells us is that the pollinating insects were very busy last spring! The trees were very early to change colour this year; starting in the 3rd week of September, for the first time that I can remember.
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We’ll have to wait and see what winter will be and in the meantime just enjoy the autumn tints in our lovely park!

If you’re walking past the MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area) on your way to the little valley formed by the Pippenhall Stream and then Grey’s (the rugby) field. Take a closer look at the very large tree at the start of the avenue alongside the Holly hedge. This magnificent specimen is a Caucasian Wingnut; the dangling “ropes” of seeds give insight into why this tree was named “Wingnut”. If you want to show off your botanical knowledge, the seeds are “samaras”; Sycamore and Ash have samaras too!

Last month I wrote about the bats in Avery Hill Park. Having watched them more carefully over the past few weeks; I’ve come to the conclusion that our bat numbers are down this year. The evidence is that the tell tale urine stains at the entrance of our 5 bat roosts are much shorter this year. We had a very cold spring; with no food about the females will not have given birth. Keep your eyes open at dusk and see what you can spot flying around the hedges and larger trees. Bats don’t like wet, windy or cold weather. If you can see your breath condensing in the air as you breathe out; it will be too cold for the insects and bats to be flying. However, there’s a great food source and a chance to fatten up for the bats hibernation, now the Ivy is in flower. The Ivy flowers attract lots of insects and the berries later this month are a food source for many of our birds.

Whatever the weather, get out and enjoy our park; our park users are very friendly and our café always has a warm welcome.

I wonder what the weather has in store for us this month! Whatever the weather the park hedges and trees will be full of seeds and berries; a guaranteed feast for the birds!

Now is the time to see the “glamour act” of the bird world, the Goldfinch. This pretty little bird loves to feast on thistle seeds; a group of them has the very apt name of a “charm” of goldfinch! Most of our feathered friends will still be around in family groups. Most easily identified is the Wood pigeon; they’ll stay together as mum, dad and a couple of kids for a while yet!

Most of our wildflowers have finished flowering; look out for their seed heads as you walk around the park this month. If you’re taking your walk around the park at dusk, look out for our resident bats. They’re mating this month so the males in particular will be high profile! One of their favourite hunting places is in Grey’s field, alongside the hedge bordering Charlton Athletic and our park rugby field. Moths are attracted to the floodlights and the bats will be in position to ambush them. The larger Noctule bats can be seen swooping down on their prey but the smaller Pippistrelles will get their share too!

On the sale of the mansion front, our council tree protection officer has been to inspect the Winter Garden’s specimen trees. The Palms, Norfolk Island Pines and the Kumquat now have tree preservation orders; so thankfully will still be around for the foreseeable future. Let’s hope we can all enjoy our magnificent Winter Gardens for many years to come!

The university’s “preferred buyer” will move onto the mansion site this month; initially to occupy the Stud Stable site by the university car-park and the tower block at the east end of mansion site. Will things move on apace? Only time will tell!

These August ramblings will take you off the main pathway around the park to look for hidden gems that may not be with us much longer. When the housing development on the Mansion site begins, these treasures may be lost for ever!

This month take the path leading towards the MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area) and focus on the little strip of woodland to your right. This wood was once Greenwich parks’ department’s tree nursery. In places you can see neat rows of overgrown Beech hedging. This is a great place to find birds foraging; listen out and there may still be some late nesters still singing. Take the path through this wood that goes through to the little Victorian cottage in the Uni. car park. Soon to be occupied by the “preferred buyer” of the Uni mansion site; this was once the home of Colonel North’s Stud Groom. In day’s gone by this was the hub of Col. North’s racing stables. His most famous being Nunthorpe who won the Jubilee Stakes at Kempton Park in 1891. The single story brick built stables can still be seen just west of the Groom’s cottage. To the best of my knowledge this is the last bit of agricultural architecture in the borough that hasn’t been either converted or demolished! Look out for the Black Mulberry tree just in front of the stable block. If you’re in luck there may even be some berries on it! Just behind the stables at the junction of the 2 arms of the building is an ancient horse Chestnut; planted by North’s predecessor, James Boyd and now around 180 years old.

Wander back towards the Uni. along the edge of the car park and look out for the Ringlet butterfly, a little brown butterfly with a series of rings along its under-wing. This is a recent migrant in the UK; I guess because of our old friend “Global warming”! On your left is another fine old oak tree, again a James Boyd planting, it’s about 175 years old. Before you turn right at the bottom of the brick steps up to the road to the café; look about you and notice the difference in height between the  uni. car park and the road down to the café.

You are in a little valley cut by the Eltham Warren stream, a headwater for the river Shuttle. Yes you’re quite right; there is no sight or sound of this little steam anymore! James Boyd put it in a brick built culvert that runs beneath your feet! If you’re really curious you can still see the inspection pit surrounded by some ancient railings if you peer down through the undergrowth from the road. On the Uni site to the east there’s an interesting building with a clock tower on top. This used to be Colonel North’s carriage and riding horse stables. It had a revolving door to the carriage room and central heating for the horses; they even had a sauna for the horses in the basement! When this building became a teachers’ training college in the early years of the last century it was converted into a science block. What will happen to it in the 21st century I wonder?

Walk through the council car-park and take time to look at the brick wall along the north of the “Rose garden”. Col. North’s Vine house was here and if you look carefully you can still see brick arches where the vine roots went. Take the path up the steps past the small shed, to the West house of the Winter Garden. Once housing a lovely “jungle” of banana, tea, coffee and ginger plants; ruined by the heating failure a decade ago, it looks almost derelict now. Beneath your feet are two Victorian curiosities. The raised area covers a rainwater storage tank harvesting the run-off from the Winter Garden roof. Between this and the Uni buildings is another underground room lined with shelving for Rhubarb and Mushroom growing. More about Avery Hill’s treasures next month!

If we do have a long dry spell it’s well worth while taking a walk around Grey’s Field, (the rugby pitch).  This is where an R.A.F. camp was in WW2.  These brave guys serviced the barrage balloons around south London.  When we've had a dry spell “parch marks” can be seen in the grass, outlining the sites of the wooden huts and roadways.  The wild flowers around the perimeter path margins should still be looking good; the ox-eye daisies have been the best ever!

A word of warning, watch your feet when walking in this part of the park.  For the first time in many years, we have a dog owner frequenting this part of the park who believes in the “poo fairy”! Fortunately our park relies on dog walkers having a sense of responsibility to keep our park “poo free”!

Trees in flower this month:  Lime; this has wonderful fragrance and is beloved by bees.  Best places in the park to see this tree are along the avenue along the west boundary of Henley’s Field. This is the wild flower meadow and along the cycle/walk path near the junction with 40 foot way path.  It's the field with the fallen Willow tree.  If you’re walking this path just past the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) look out for the ancient tree just at the start of the holly hedge path; the Caucasian Wing Nut. It is festooned with fruit right now and easy to see why it got the name “wing nut”!  Look out for the blackberry bushes around the park, covered in flowers right now, they’re good places to spot butterflies.  The Red Admiral loves them!

If you’re in the park at dusk or dawn look out for our bats; this time of year the baby bats are getting hunting lessons from their mums.  You may even catch site of the Little Owl.  If daytime is your favourite time to visit; don’t forget to come along to Avery Hill Parksfest on July 19th. This fantastic day out has been organised by the Friends of Avery Hill Park group. Eagle Heights will be bringing along their birds of prey; not to be missed!

In our parks and gardens June is the month for Roses; look out for the Dog Rose, their wild cousin, in our park hedgerows. Our oldest hedge, planted in the 1370’s, runs from Butterfly Lane along the west side of Grey’s meadow (the rugby field) and follows the boundary of Charlton Athletic ground and the university Sparrows Lane sports area. It has plenty of wild (Dog) Rose; look out for another wildflower, Goose Grass, it has tiny velcro style hooks along the stems earning itself the local name of “Sticky Willy”! Teach this plant name to your children and I can guarantee they’ll remember it forever!

There will be plenty of wildflowers in our park this month, along the edge of our circular walk is a good place to find them. These were planted when the path was installed. Well done Greenwich Parks and Open Spaces! Another wildflower hot-spot can be found at the “mound” at the corner of the path out to 40 foot way. This large heap of soil was made when this field (Greater Stony Acres) was levelled to improve the sports pitches. All the soil and the wildflower seeds in it, were scraped into this one great heap. It’s a great place for bat watching if you’re here at dusk! It’s a hot spot for butterflies too, Orange Tip and Meadow Browns will be flying this month.

Trees in flower this month, Elder and Horse Chestnut. In the past decade most of our Horse Chestnuts have been infected with leaf miner. Their fruit, the conker beloved by school kids, hasn’t been prolific. Avery Hill Road used to have the best conkers for miles around! We have two Red Horse Chestnuts, rubbish for conkers! One at each end of the line of trees bordering the large Holly hedge that runs from near the MUGA pitch to the top of the wild-flower meadow in the Pippenhall stream valley. This little stream usually dries up this month; rarely getting further than the bridge unless we have a summer storm. Hopefully we can enjoy many sunny days this June, so get out there and enjoy our park!

Of the many wildflowers I find the umbelliferous family the most difficult to identify. Some members of this group of plants are very poisonous so it is best not to make mistakes! Among the first to flower is Queen Anne’s Lace otherwise known as Cow Parsley. It’s got a feathery leaf to distinguish it; you can find plenty alongside Averyhill Road and the south boundary of the park. The other May flowering umbel, Ground Elder, has much bigger rounded leaves, there are some nice patches around the wooden seat in Henley’s Meadow.

There will be plenty of flowers to be seen in the park this month, my favourites are Bluebell and Dandelion; why do I choose Dandelion? It’s one of the few plants that has a use for each of its parts. The roots were roasted and ground up in WW2 to make a coffee substitute; the young leaves are good in salads, the flowers make a tasty wine and the seeds are a good fun game for children. Don’t tell me you’ve never played “Dandelion clocks”! Look for Bluebells along our hedgerows and the many corners of woodland. Dandelions are our most frequent lawn weed. This month the hedgerows will be covered with the white flowers of the Hawthorn trees. The country name for this tree is “May”, hardly surprising really!

Other trees in flower this month, Beech, Oak, Sycamore, Poplar, Plane and Holly.

May is the month our bats come out of hibernation. Our park is a real hotspot, well worth the effort to come out at dusk when you can see Noctule, Serotine and both Common and Soprano Pippistrelles. Avery Hill Park is 19th in south east England for Noctule numbers. Plumstead Common is no.2! While you walk around the park; look out for any holes in the trees with a dark stain below the hole. This is the “give away” sign of a bat roost. Bird nesting holes will have no stains below them. We have 6 bat roosts around the park; you’ll see them more easily if you walk anticlockwise from the café.

TOP TABLE: Coun Nuala Geary (chair, Friends), Coun John Fahy, deputy leader, Greenwich Council and Clive Efford, MP for Eltham.

Greenwich Council has agreed to protect Avery Hill Winter Garden after it is sold by Greenwich University.

Speaking to a packed meeting organised by Friends group and the ‘Save the Avery Hill Winter Garden’ campaign, deputy council leader Coun John Fahy said the council accepted it had a responsibility to enforce the covenants on the historic glasshouse.

He said that the covenants meant anyone buying the Winter Garden would have to guarantee public access and keep it in good condition.

“Any developer buying the site would have to recognise that the site is a listed building and that it contains Metropolitan Open Space”, he said.

He said that a full planning process would apply to any proposals from a developer but the University had said it would need to occupy the site until 2018. It would be an uphill struggle for any developer to persuade the council to depart from the current land designation; they would need the ability to recognise the historical and heritage nature of the site.

If the weather’s being kind to us there should be plenty of blossom on the trees. Starting at the park café and walking anti-clockwise towards the multi use games area; look out for the cherry trees. Their bark is easy to identify as it has a pattern of horizontal lines all over it; looking like hundreds of smiles! You’ll see several of them along the path before you get to the Parks Department storage containers.

While you’re on this stretch of the path, the small area of woodland on your right was once Greenwich parks department tree nursery; gifted to the University in the 1980’s and now very much overgrown. Take a moment to look northwards along the path through the trees to your right; there is a lovely view of the Groom’s cottage at the end of the hedge avenue. Colonel North’s Stud stables are just to the left of the groom’s cottage; they are the last  remaining agricultural buildings in the borough. When the University sell this land they are scheduled for demolition. In his hey-day Colonel North had 64 horses in training; the most famous was Nunthorpe who won the Jubilee stakes at Kempton Park in 1891. North would take his house guests over to Newmarket by special train and hold a private race meeting, all his horses taking part!

April is the month most of our birds will be nesting; make the most of it for it will be the only time of year the Ring Necked Parakeets won’t be screaming. They are amazingly silent when nesting! The hedges in the park are “des. res.” for nesting birds. As you walk down into the little valley formed by the Pippenhall stream keep your eyes open for nesting birds. One of the easiest to spot is the Magpie’s nest; it’s usually near the top of a tree and is roofed over with a dome of twigs. There are two other birds that build a domed nest; the Wren and the Long tailed Tit. You never know what you can spot if you’re observant! The perimeter hedges along Gray’s (the rugby) field and the southern boundary with the Uni. field and Southwood campus are great places to look.

As you wander back to the café via the path alongside the Mansion buildings, look to your right and see if you can spot the small pond just west of the Uni tower block. There is the base of a fountain in this pond; it was once the centre piece of the Winter Gardens. Walking past the Winter Gardens again, glance to your right; the clock tower you can see is on North’s riding and carriage horse stable block. Once this was the first stables to be centrally heated. There was even a  Turkish Bath to cure any horse that caught a chill!

Back to the café, there’s always a hot cuppa to make sure you don’t catch a chill!!

Starting at the park café and walking clockwise around the walk/cycle route, take time to divert to the small garden at the car-park entrance to the park. This lovely little area is coming into bloom with crocus, daffodils and magnolia. Returning to the main track, just past the carved toadstools, there is a Yew tree on your right hand side. In March it is covered with blossom and every breeze will release clouds of yellow pollen. An early blooming Magnolia is on the left of the track; you’ll need to look up to see the blossom, as this tree is quite tall! There are more Magnolias on your left as you pass the university buildings. These five trees were a gift from New Eltham Allotment society in 2013.

Following the walk/cycle track around the perimeter of the park look closely in the clumps of fading crocus, you may see a wild flower; Greater Celandine. This lovely little plant occurs in most of the hedgerows in the park and is an indicator of the great age of the area, woodland or hedgerow, it occurs in.

The young trees on the right of the track are under-planted by daffodils. Eltham Girl Guiding planted these to mark their 100th anniversary. Rounding the corner past the bus stop we walk along the boundary with the University village campus. While the trees are still bare of leaves we can see and admire the neat hedge laying on the Uni. side of the fence. This is the traditional way of making sure a hedge is animal proof. Good to see traditional crafts still in use! 

Under the trees along this southern boundary to the park you can see the fern like leaves of a plant emerging. This is Hedge Parsley and will have lovely lace-like flowers in the coming months. Keep going along the walk/cycle track until you reach the lower bridge over the Pippinhall stream. Take a diversion to the left here into the field; its old field name is Great Stony Meadow and is one of the fields farmed by Ann Twist. Ann was Mistress of the Royal Laundry to Queen Elizabeth 1st. Look along the banks of the stream here and see if you can spot two wildflowers; Greater Celandine with its heart shaped leaves and shiny yellow flowers and the arrow shaped leaves of Wild Arum. The root of Wild Arum was used to make laundry starch in Elizabethan times.

Return to the walk/cycle track and take a look along the west side of the hedge that borders the Pippinhall stream. The wild daffodils “dancing in the breeze” were planted by Alderwood School pupils in 2007. Keep going along the track beside Charlton Athletic grounds. These hedgerows, together with most of the hedges in the park have been here at least since 1609 when they first appear on an Eltham tithe map. Ann Twist was farming most of them at that time! As you walk along the track returning to the café listen out for the “drumming” of the male woodpecker and see if you can spot the red flowers on the Aspen trees and two more wildflowers; White Dead Nettle and the tiny blue flowers of Speedwell.

7.30pm Thursday 19th March at Christ Church Priory Parish Hall, Eltham High Street, London SE9


The Friends of Avery Hill Park are hosting a Public Meeting.  We invite everyone to discuss the potential impact of the sale and subsequent development of the Avery Hill Mansion Site.  Please come and share your concerns and opinions so that we can continue the restoration of the Winter Gardens and ensure that any development meets the needs of local people.

Last Tuesday (3rd February) the Friends of Avery Hill Park were able to meet with some of the key staff from the University to discuss the concerns that we and local people have raised since the announcement of their intention to sell the Mansion Site at Avery Hill. Some of those concerns were raised by you commenting on our Facebook page Save Avery Hill Winter Gardens.

The University met with us and agreed that we could invite a very limited number of local representatives to raise questions at the meeting.  They were not willing to engage with a public meeting until the Mansion Site had been formally placed on the market.  Consequently, we expect to be able to announce a public meeting in the very near future.  Until then, here are a few important points that came out of that meeting:

• The property would be placed on the market on Saturday 7th Feb. 2015.  Details of the sale including a number of important documents can be found at http://averyhill.gva.co.uk/  
  
• The site is being sold without any planning permissions and how a future buyer would wish to develop the site would be for them to negotiate with the University and the planning authority.
  
• The planning application, approved some years ago for the extension of teaching facilities the Mansion Site had lapsed.
  
• Covenants are in place to protect the listed parts of the buildings; to protect the condition of the Winter Gardens which must be maintained in the state they were received and not allowed to deteriorate; and ensure continued public access.  These would apply to all future owners.
  
• The University representatives claimed that the Winter Gardens are now in a better state than when it was taken over.  They have spent £800k of their own funds over the last five to six years, in repairs and upkeep including £300,000 on roof repairs.
  
• The University had received only part of the stage 1 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund - £98,973 of the £192,000 grant.  The money was given by the Heritage Lottery Fund for the preparation of a full bid, as that bid had been withdrawn when the sale was announced the money has been voluntarily repaid to HLF.
  
• There are no plans to sell the Southwood Site as it provides accommodation for 1500 students and some teaching facilities. Some internal modifications will be necessary and these will be the subject of a planning application.  There is no planning permission nor is it being sought for the land on the south side of Southwood Site known as Kingswood Field.
  
• It was the Southwood Site that caused the parking problems in Avery Hill Road so these would likely continue.
  
• The Mansion Site has been used as an educational establishment since 1904 and eventually became part of Greenwich University estate.  They would not want to be remembered for selling off and profiting from a valuable historic asset and abandoning it in a state of disrepair.
  
• The University acknowledged its moral responsibility to maintain some level of commitment to the Mansion Site and the Winter Gardens in particular.  Studies, plans and other documents created for the HLF bid to restore the Winter Gardens would be made available to funding bidders and they would be open to discussing a long term commitment to the upkeep of the Winter Gardens once the site has been sold.
  

Starting at the café walk towards the car park entrance; just after you pass the old loo block, take the path to the left and see if you can find the snow drops. They are just on your left as you pass the trees on the left hand side. These lovely winter flowers are sometimes called ice breakers! Returning to the path to the car park look out for the yellow flowers on the winter jasmine growing on the corner of the Italianate rose garden wall, pink and white flowers of the camellias on the bed between the two sets of steps to this garden. There are pink flowers on the winter heather, on the flower bed below the car park wall. There may even be some early bumble bees visiting these.

Back to the main walk/cycle path past the Winter Gardens you will see 3 large evergreen trees, Cider Gums, on your left in front of the uni building. Planted in 1882 by James Boyd, the guy who owned Avery Hill before Colonel North. Look closely and you will see their tiny flower buds.
Continuing along the path alongside Avery Hill Road the yellow, white and purple crocus should be flowering. Keep along the path and at the corner just past the bus stop look out for Snowdrops again, these were planted by 1st Royal Eltham Cubs in 2006.

The path from here closely follows the south edge of the park. Look for the old railings, once marking the boundary to Southwood House. Look closely and you will see that several of the trees have grown so much since planting that they have engulfed the railings! Have you spotted any trees coming into leaf along here? The Elderberries should be showing signs that spring is on the way. There will be fluffy catkins on the “pussy” Willow trees.

Reaching the bridge over the Pippinhall stream keep a look out for birds. At this time of year they are beginning to pair off and you may even hear some of them singing. The Thrush is easily identified, he likes to repeat every phrase he sings! If you are lucky enough to be walking in the rain listen out for the Mistle Thrush. He’s slightly larger than the Song Thrush and likes to sing out from the tree tops when it’s raining!

One of the hedgerow trees in this area is the Blackthorn. It has small white flowers, as you admire them remember that this tree gives us the fruit we call “Sloes” beloved of birds and festive Gin drinkers!

Continue along the path around Greys (the Rugby) field and at the upper bridge over the Pippinhall stream look down the hedgerow towards the lower bridge and see if you can spot any of the snowdrops planted by Alderwood School pupils. Now take a diversion to the left and walk up the avenue of trees. Here are more Snowdrops, planted by Royal Eltham Guides to mark the centenary of Guiding in 2010. From here you have the choice of retracing your steps to the walk/cycle path or completing the circuit of Henley’s meadow to return to the walk/cycle path. Make your way along this path back to the café for a welcome chance to have a warming drink.

It may be January but there’s plenty to see. Who says everything is dead in winter!

From the café go towards the Winter Gardens and just follow your nose; there’s a heavenly smell from the Christmas Box plants at the top of the wall in the shade of the Cedar tree. There’s an even better place to enjoy this plant in the upper Italianate Rose Garden. Just relax on the bench and drink in the fragrance. Hopefully you’ll get some sunshine too!

Follow the walk & cycle route, east alongside Avery Hill Road; there’s just one Alder tree on the right near the path here. Easy to spot as it’s the only tree to have cones and catkins at the same time!

 Keep your eyes on the playing fields on your right and look out for the sea gulls. They spend a lot of time here during the day If you see a few “tap dancing”, they’re not auditioning for “Strictly Come Dancing”, simply hunting for worms! Usually you can see a smaller gull, the Black-headed. A bit of a daft name in winter, as it won’t have a black head until the breeding season. Two sorts of Black Backed Gull, lesser & greater like being in our park and if you’re really lucky you’ll see the Common Gull, easy to spot with its green legs. The noisiest bird in the park is the Ring Necked Parakeet. This bright green bird is hard to miss; it hangs out in family groups and between them they make a great deal of noise! Around dusk they will gather in flocks of 20 or more and fly off to their communal roost at Hither Green. See if you can spot the Owl nesting box in the trees on your left. There are 20 bird, bug and bat boxes in the park.

When you get to the bridge over the stream, look to your right again; there is a Hazel tree here. Its yellow catkins are a welcome sight in January; there are more Hazel trees along the Green Chain walk; see if you can spot the tiny red star shaped female flowers! While you’re walking around the edge of the rugby field (its old field name is Grey’s field) Have a look at the colour of the twigs on the trees in the hedgerow. Who said twigs are all brown! Can you spot the yellow twigs on the willow and the purple twigs on the birch?

Keep going along the walk and cycle path crossing the stream for the second time. This is Pippinhall Stream, it rises on Pippinhall Farm and is one of the headwater streams for the River Shuttle. At this time of year there is always water in the stream; further down its course you can find freshwater shrimps and sticklebacks swimming about. Passing the holly hedge on your left look out for any berries left on the bushes; the birds love to feast on them! You may be lucky enough to spot a Little Owl flying alongside the holly hedge and out across the playing fields. This smallest member of the owl family often hunts in daylight.


Return to the café for a welcome hot drink to warm you up at the end of the walk.

December gives us dark mornings and evenings but this gives us opportunities to watch wildlife at dawn and dusk without having to get out of bed at an unearthly hour! Most of the trees will have lost their leaves giving us better views of the birds and squirrels!

Leaving the café follow the walk/cycle path towards the car park. There are some interesting plants in bloom at the park entrance here. The first one you will see is the Winter Jasmine. Its yellow starry flowers brighten up the lower corner of the Italianate Rose Garden. Walking towards the car park look out for the pink flowers on the winter flowering Heather.

Return to the main walk/cycle path look out for signs of the spring bulbs emerging along the base of the Italianate Garden wall. These bulbs were sourced by the Friends of Avery Hill Park and will brighten up the park in the weeks to come. Passing the Winter Garden look for five magnolia trees, gifted by the New Eltham Allotment Society. Their flower buds, covered in silky hairs, are swelling showing us that spring is not far away!

Keep right at the fork in the path ahead; walking along beside the Avery Hill Road boundary on the left you will see the light green feathery leaves of Hedge Parsley. This wildflower reminds us of the agricultural past of the park. You’ll find plenty more as you walk round the hedgerows in the park! On your right look out for the first signs of the dark green leaves of Snowdrops emerging. Planted by the Cub Scouts of 1st Royal Eltham, this brave little bulb has earned itself the name of “Frost breaker”!  

As you walk along the south boundary of the park, past the University student campus, keep a look out for birds. There may be two migrant members of the Thrush family, Fieldfare a larger bird with spotted chest and prominent eyebrows; and the smaller Redwing. This looks very like our common Thrush until it flies away when you will notice its red “armpits”! Both these birds love the berries we have in our hedges. Listen out and you will undoubtedly hear the screeches of the Ring Necked Parakeets; you can’t miss them in their bright green plumage! You may be able to hear the Robin singing too; this little bird likes to remind us that Christmas is near!
High in the trees on your left as you walk nearer to the path down to 40 Foot Way see if you can spot the Squirrel’s dreys. These nest like constructions are stuffed with dead leaves to keep the Squirrels warm. Does this make you feel glad you’re not a Squirrel! Brrrh, looks a cold and drafty way to sleep in winter!

Continuing around the path bordering the Rugby field you may well see more birds feeding on the Hawthorn berries in the hedgerow beside the path. Keep going along the path until you get to the zig zag before the MUGA. The very large tree, last in the row of trees making the avenue beside the tall Holly hedge; is a Caucasian Wingnut.
The only one in our borough, this tree was planted by James Boyd in 1885. This lovely old tree is usually the last in the park to loose its leaves for the winter. How’s it doing as you pass by today; still green or in autumn colour or has it succumbed to the winter winds? This is the end of your walk of the month…the café awaits!