Camley Street Natural Park, St Pancras

Having walked the length of the Regent's Canal and having visited Gasholders Park and Coal Drops Yard, on numerous occasions, I had seen Camley Street Natural Park from the canal towpath, but had never explored it. This had to be rectified.

So, it was while out walking with Keilyn that we decided to go for an exploratory of the park, to see what was there. Crossing the Regent's Canal, via the Somers Town Bridge, we headed through the giant iron gates and into the covered seating area of the park.

Walking around the cafe and learning centre we made our way to the entrance of the reserve and began our exploration.

The path was compacted and strong and bordered by low, wooden borders that separated the footpath from the wild meadows and ponds. Information boards, spread sporadically around the site, showed the fauna and flora that could be spotted throughout the year. Unfortunately, our visit took place at the beginning of March, so much of the wildlife was absent, giving the place a truly tranquil feel.

The path soon joined wooden walkways, which allowed water to flow beneath them from the interconnecting ponds and the Regent's Canal.

Seating area, either on the banks of the Regent's Canal or in small clearings gave ample space to sit and take in the peace.

We explored the ponds, seeing only coots, mallards and moorhens, while blackbirds, great tits, long-tailed tits, magpies, pigeons and robins flew between the trees.

The sound of skittering, through fallen leaves, could have been wood mice or other small rodents, but there was nothing that we could see.

Logs, piled up in various locations, and bug hotels seemed quiet, with their inhabitants buried in the soil or deep inside the rotting wood.

The ponds, with their crystal clear waters, seemed devoid of life, too.

Various ferns, planted in a stumpery, were still growing, while many other plants were yet to bloom.

Once we had seen everything that we could we made our way out of the park, promising to come back later in the year to see what wildlife may have taken up residence.

Brief History

Up until the 18th century the area now covered by Camley Street Natural Park was part of the Middlesex woodlands. But with the industrialisation of the area this land became sandwiched between the main line out of St Pancras and the Regent's Canal.

By the 1970s the land was derelict, remaining that way until Camden Borough Council assigned the land to the London Wildlife Trust to manage, in 1984.

In 1985 the park opened for the first time.

Much of the industrial area to the east, including Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard, began to be redeveloped from 2008, with plans to revamp the park included.

In 2017 the Somers Town Bridge opened, linking Camley Street Natural Park with Coal Drops Yard. In December 2017 the park closed, allowing it to be completely redesigned, with it reopening in September, 2021. The new cafe and learning centre opened in 2022.

The park covers 2 acres and includes meadows, wetland and woodland habitats.

The park is open daily, is free to visit and the cafe and learning centre are open to all.

Camley Street Natural Park

Deadwood Habitat

Without a range of animals and fungi that consume dead wood we would be sky-high in plant and animal waste. These saprophytes are critically important in turning dead plant material into soil, helping to provide nutrients that sustain ecosystems.

Beetles, earwigs, millipedes and woodlice have adapted to a life eating wood, and in turn these are preyed upon by beetles, centipedes and spiders.

It's a whole hidden world of mini-beasts that play a crucial role in keeping our habitats healthy, and therefore many greenspaces and parks now have loggeries and dead trees allowed to rot naturally.

Meadow Habitat

Meadows are a rich mixture of wildflowers and grasses, providing nectar and other food for an amazing range of animals, especially insects. Bees, beetles, butterflies, hoverflies and moths are important pollinators, attracted to plants such as buttercups, meadowsweet and primrose.

Amongst the dense foliage crickets, grasshoppers and shield-bugs forage aiming to keep out of sight from predators such as the common toad or birds, such as the blackbird and robin.

Wetland Habitat

Ponds with fringes of vegetation and aquatic plants such as water lilies and water-soldier, provide important refuge for coot and moorhen, and amphibians such as the common frog and the smooth newt.

Reeds and rushes provide nesting spots for reed bunting and reed warbler, camouflaged to keep out of sight from predators. However, species from other parts of the world have also found their way into many wetlands, such as floating pennywort, red-eared slider terrapin and signal crayfish, and some of these need to be managed to prevent them adversely impacting on the sensitive wetland ecosystems.