West Wickham Common, owned and managed by the City of London at no
cost to the public, is a 10Ha (26acre) public open space.
Located in the London Borough of Bromley, it forms part of a larger
area of open countryside within the London green belt that link
London with the wider countryside of Surrey and Kent.
The lower eastern slopes of the site hold a small collection of
wonderful ancient oak pollards, harking back to a time when this
'wood pasture' habitat was used by people cutting the trees above
head height for timber, to ensure the regrowth was out of reach of
browsing animals that grazed below. On the brow of
the hill, with fantastic views over the surrounding countryside, is
an ancient earthworks - still a mystery to archaeologists.
You can see the ditch and bank structure of this heritage
feature which lies on an area of open heathland.
Rangers, contractors and volunteers manage the site so that
local people and visitors from further away can enjoy the peace and
quiet of the countryside just a stone’s throw from London. A
surfaced accessible circular track provides a perfect route to
explore part of the site, or longer routes, such as the London
LOOP trail cut through the site to other surrounding
countryside.
The City Commons are managed to a high standard for the recreation
and enjoyment of the public. In recognition of this each site
proudly flies a Green Flag - an independently judged award
given annually to the best parks and green spaces in England and
Wales.
The City of London
is participating in the 'Million Voices' campaign which aims to
show public satisfaction towards the country's parks and open
spaces through the new GreenSTAT online system. If you would like
to comment on West Wickham Common and how well you feel it is being
managed and maintained,
click here to complete the GreenSTAT
questionnaire.
The City of London
manages over 10,000 acres of green space in and around London for
the recreation and enjoyment of the public.
Find out more about the other spaces.