Geography + History

Wandsworth Common was mentioned in the Domesday Book in the 11th century. It was first mentioned on a map in 1746.

Then, it was all one piece, comprising the manors of Battersea West Heath and Wandsworth East Heath. It comprised 400 acres, compared to today’s 177 acres and was called ‘waste’ land because it was not suitable for agriculture. It was mainly scrub and gorse covered, with very few trees, and was very wet. However, people were allowed to collect wood, graze cattle, grow vegetables and dig gravel.

Wandsworth Common today

The Common we see today comprises twelve sections of varying size, some of which are not thought of as Wandsworth Common even by many locals.

Take a look at our map, on sale for just £2 in the Skylark Café, to familiarise yourself with its 177 acres.

Once described as a wilderness, or worse, the Common is now a delightful mix of grass, woodland, glades and ponds, thanks to coming under better stewardship since 1871. It still remains very wet, however!

The reduction in the Common’s size took place in the 1800s, due to chunks being sold for houses and buildings, including the Toast Rack, Emanuel School and the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building. The construction of the railways from Clapham Junction in the mid 1800s, and then roads, led to further fragmentation. Popular protests eventually brought a halt to these encroachments, with the signing of the Wandsworth Common Act in 1871, which preserved the Common for us all, and whose anniversary we celebrated in July 2021.

Read on to find out more. You can read more detail about the Common’s history in our book ‘The Wandsworth Common Story’, published in 2021 to mark the 150th anniversary.

The common is classed as a site of borough importance grade 1 for nature conservation. It has nine different ecological habitats, including the pond and lakes, amphibian wetland, grassland, including acid grassland, meadows and woodland. Only native trees are planted today.

Management of the common is a balancing act: balancing a heritage landscape with biodiversity and use by an ever-growing number of people for a variety of formal and informal recreation.

Much of the information in this section was contributed by Aviva and Charles Walton, with comments from Enable's Valerie Selby

Grasslands

Natural grassland provides a perfect habitat for wild flowers, bees, butterflies, grasshoppers and other insects.

The acid grassland on the western edge of Bellevue Fields is of particular importance, present in relatively few areas of London but in total accounting for 4% of the UK’s total acid grassland. This grassland thrives on poor soil. Bare patches of earth have an important function. The soil warms and nurtures insects. Solitary wasps and bees live in tiny holes in the ground.

Other interesting areas are on the Scope, characterised by clumps of tussock grass (pictured), where nutrients from fallen leaves have changed the nature of the grassland.

The mowing regime has been relaxed in some areas specifically to allow wildflowers to grow. Over 30 species of wildflower can be found on the Common.

Woodland

There are over 3,500 trees on the Common in several different woodland areas. The one opposite is on the Scope; other examples are on the fringes of Bellevue Field, around the lake and on Bolingbroke Field along the railway line. Where light reaches the ground through the trees a variety of grasses and shrubs, mosses and lichens, wild flowers and plants can grow. Woodlands provide everything a creature who lives there needs — food, water, shelter. Stag beetles, centipedes and fungi live in decaying wood. Small animals, such as mice, can hide inside dead trees and around the roots. Many species of birds live and nest up in the tree canopy, as well as bats, like the pipistrelle. Standing dead wood is particularly good for biodiversity and is no longer cleared away.

The Scope

This very distinct area of the common is managed particularly for biodiversity. Look out for the meadow and open glades - a hotspot for butterflies; grassland hummocks, young oaks, tall leaning black poplar trees, purple moor grass, cowslips and bluebells in the spring.

As the woodland canopy has become increasingly dense, thought is being given to thinning it out, in order to enrich the biodiversity by encourage more wildflowers and habitat for butterflies and bees.

The orange circles found on some oaks is to show that they are free from oak processionary moth.

The pond and lakes

This water habitat teems with life: insects such as pond skaters and dragonflies, several types of fish, and common newts. Swans, geese and ducks live on the water (see fauna). Reeds, irises and numerous other plants grow around the edge.

Can you spot an Egyptian goose, a mallard, a moorhen and a coot? Look for a grey heron standing still on the edge of the water, a cormorant spreading its wings to dry at the top of a tree.

This is a sensitive area in the spring and summer when young birds are nesting. Keep dogs on a lead by the pond and don’t let them into the water (see dogs).

The lake has no natural inlet and water quality can deteriorate in the summer. Thought is being given to forms of aeration

Amphibian wetland

An area has been created especially for wildlife such as newts, frogs and water-loving insects. It also provides a catchment area for water after heavy rain, preventing it running into the railway cutting — a good example of wildlife and public transport management working in harmony.

Birds & waterfowl

The Common has its own volunteer ornithologist — Peter White — who can be seen regularly on the Common (if you’re up early enough) and his reports are published every month on the Enable website.

He also leads walks every quarter, starting from Wandsworth Common station (see our calendar).

In 2017 there was much excitement — even a Twitter storm — when a rare Night Heron was spotted on the island in the main lake. This attracted several local birders who could be seen with their scopes trained on the bird which, as its name suggests, was asleep for most of the time.

A sparrowhawk also nests on the common and can sometimes be seen.

Swan & duck food project

Since 2013, a group of volunteers have been filling the candy striped bags you see on sale in Skylark with swan and duck food. This is much healthier for the ducks than bread, even brown bread, and is an easy way for us to help the birds and provide a revenue stream for the Common. All profits go to education and enhancement projects, such as the map and website.

Bread is junk food for ducks. It lacks nutrients, can cause disease and stunt the growth of ducklings. It either falls to the bottom of the lake, damaging the water quality, and if left floating at the edge of the pond it attracts rats and other pests.

There are other natural foods you can feed the ducks — grain in particular, but also clover and grass, chopped raw green vegetables, grapes cut in half, defrosted peas etc.

Butterflies

This section has been written by Ian Cunningham, the Common’s volunteer butterfly recorder for over 20 years. He’s also helped compile this ID leaflet about the Common’s butterflies.

Do you think that butterflies on the Common are limited to cabbage whites?

That’s natural as the whites catch the eye. So it may be a surprise that, in 20 or so years of regular monitoring, 28 specific species have been found. Only a handful are white. 19 can be expected to appear every year.

The 19 are: small skipper, Essex skipper, large skipper, brimstone, large white, small white, green veined white, orange tip, purple hairstreak, common blue, holly blue, red admiral, small tortoiseshell, peacock, speckled wood, comma, gatekeeper, meadow brown and ringlet.

Policing the Common is the job of the Parks & Events Police & local Met teams

PARKS POLICE

If you see or are involved in an incident which contravenes the bye-laws, whether anti-social behaviour (ASB), dangerous cycling, out of control dogs or illegal sports activity, and are not unduly concerned about your immediate personal safety, contact the parks police on their mobile 07500 959442. A picture sent by whatsapp is simple but very effective. If possible, follow up with an e-mail to parkspolice@wandsworth.gov.uk

You can read more about the Parks Police here with more detail here. Bear in mind that the team of 9 officers patrol all Wandsworth’s greenspaces and can’t be everywhere at once. If they’re nearby they will attend quickly but if they are elsewhere in the borough they may not be able to. Leave a message for them to follow up.

THE MET SAFER NEIGHBOURGHOOD TEAM (SNT)

Each local ward area has a team of Metropolitan Police whose job is to patrol the ward, get to know its residents and respond to any problems. Wandsworth Common is covered by several wards but the main one is Wandsworth Common. Its SNT includes PC Gavin Talbot and support officer PCSO Biren Patel who patrol regularly. The team is based at Earlsfield Police Station and can be contacted on 0208 247 8168 or e-mail at wandsworthcommon@met.police.uk

Please do not hesitate to call 999 immediately if you see or are the victim of any crime such as robbery/theft, ASB or are worried about an individual behaving suspiciously or strangely. Give as many details as possible. Alternatively call 101 (the MET Police non-emergency enquiries hotline) or report it to the same control room online (https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/).

If you wish to stay anonymous then you can report via CrimeStoppers (https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ or 0800 555 111)

Do also contact the Wandsworth Common Ward Safer Neighbourhood MET Police team. They will, however, be picking up details of any crime reported through 999, 101 or online every morning and will react accordingly.

Defibrillator

One is located in the AllStar tennis hut and is accessible during their opening hours. Click here for a short leaflet describing how to find and use it

Litter

Removing litter from Wandsworth greenspaces costs £1/3 million every year, money that could be better spent on more useful things.

There is only one dedicated litter picker for the whole of the Common – Michael (photo). Say hello when you see him and thank him for the great job he does. Make his job easier by taking your litter home or put it in the appropriate bin - recycling or general waste. Litter encourages pests — rats and crows — can kill animals and birds and looks awful.

Many individuals help by regularly picking up others’ litter when they see it. They do a great job and are unsung heroes. But if you collect large amounts of rubbish and expect it to be collected, agree it with Enable in advance so they can factor it into their collection schedule. Unscheduled collections are very expensive.

We organise regular litter picks on Mondays at 10am, providing grabbers, gloves, sacks and hoops. It’s a worthwhile and enjoyable activity and it allows us to deep clean areas that would otherwise be neglected, especially the ecological areas in winter, outside the nesting season. We keep recyclables separate and dispose of them in the special bins. Contact us if you're interested and be sure to read this Health and Safety advice before joining one of our sessions.

Leave the Common as you would wish to find it.

Key points

1. Cycle only on shared-use paths, keep to the 12mph limit and watch out for others

2. Organised sport must be booked.

3. Fitness trainers must be licensed.

4. Fishing only at designated times, with a permit.

5. Dogs must be under control at all times, on leads by the lake and not allowed in the water. Put dog poo in the red bins.

6. Dog walkers need a license for more than 4 animals.

7. No BBQs.

8. Leave the common as you would wish to find it

Group Activities

Use of the Common by schools and others for organised activities must be booked. Enable will direct you to the appropriate person who will locate your activity so as to minimise wear and tear and leave areas free for passive recreation. See the summer pitch designations here.

Fitness trainers/groups must be licensed. This helps ensure they know how to operate on the Common. They should not attach apparatus to any trees, benches or other Common infrastructure like the trim trail. Make sure your trainer doesn’t and check they are licensed.

Sports that can be booked in designated areas include:

Football
Rugby
Touch Rugby
Cricket
Rounders
Softball
And more...

Personal Trainers + Fitness Groups

Book a sports pitch

Toilets/changing: the only facilities are at the back of the Neal’s Lodge complex, between the tennis courts and the Enable offices.

Cycling

Twenty years ago there was very little cycling on the Common. Today, increasing numbers of people want to cycle for exercise, enjoyment, or simply to get from A to B.

The challenge is to balance this need with the needs of other users

There are no dedicated cycle paths. Paths are either shared use or no cycling, indicated by the adjacent signs. The speed limit is 12mph, and when cycling over the railway bridge in the middle of the Common — the Catsback Bridge — cyclists are requested to dismount.

Most cyclists follow the rules perfectly happily and are content to share the Common with other users (even though admittedly the signage is not always as clear as it could be). Unfortunately there are a minority who don’t: infringements of the bye-laws related to cycling are the single biggest reason for the police to issue verbal and written warnings, and in a few cases prosecutions.

The rules are simple: keep to the shared use paths and observe the 12mph speed limit. Watch out for others. Off road cycling damages grass and paths through erosion, especially when wet, and can disturb and distress people and wildlife.

Fishing

Fishing is only allowed in the southern basin of the lake, from June 16 to March 14.

Anglers require a permit from Enable LC.

Neither the lake nor the fish in it occur naturally. The lake is rain fed, topped up from the mains when needed. Fish are introduced for the benefit of anglers and are confined to the larger, deeper, southern basin adjacent to Bellevue Field. There is a stone barrier under the bridge to stop fish moving to the smaller, shallower basin next to the railway line. However, anglers sometimes return fish there, where they breed but sometimes have difficulty surviving. They are surveyed and removed every three years. The small pond by Bolingbroke Road contains no fish.

Hot summers highlight the challenges for both the fish and the people who manage the Common's lakes and ponds. Oxygen levels in the shallow, heated water in the lake by the railway have often become depleted (hot water carries less oxygen), with adult fish seen gasping for breath and small fry dieing overnight. Gasping fish per se are not necessarily a problem - it is normal behaviour at certain times of year - but because a number of different species were displaying similar behaviour, it was put down to low oxygen levels and pumps were deployed to raise oxygen levels. Murky water is also not necessarily a bad sign, as many of the fish are bottom dwellers and stir up the mud as they eat and breed. Sudden heavy rain can also be problematic. Although the fresh water itself is beneficial, a sudden deluge after a heat wave can bring low oxygenated water to the surface, where the small fry live, causing their sudden death.

Enable have been considering how to improve oxygenation in the main lake for some time. The problem is that, unlike the Bolingbroke Pond, which has a pump powered by electricity from Bolingbroke Road, there is no electricity supply close to the main lake. Introducing one - even using solar power - would be expensive and disruptive and there is a valid question whether an appropriate use of scarce resources is to protect fish in an environment not best suited to them. Until such time as a solution is found, there may be further distressing incidents of fish struggling to survive.

Dogs

2024 TIMETABLE AS A GUIDE

9-10.30am: 🎪 Set-up of the ring, gazebos and exhibitors’ stands

10.30am-12noon: 📝 Registration: £3 per dog per category note

12-3pm: 🥳 The Show!! 🐶🐕‍🦺🐕🐩

10 great categories with space for 30 dogs in each and a final ‘Best in Show’ (fabulous prizes - details below)

Two 15 minute taster training sessions with Rebecca from SuperDogLondon

NB ☕ Bonsai café and The Hope pub will be offering special discounts on the day - details below.

3-4pm: Set-down of gazebos, stands etc.

2024 SPONSORS, EXHIBITORS & JUDGES

We are incredibly grateful to our Master of Ceremonies (MC), sports reporter extraordinaire, Isaac Fanin and our lineup of lovely judges, all of whom are local and many of whom will be known to you, either by face, name, reputation - or all three! They have all given their time for free and many have provided the wonderful prizes you are hoping to win!

We are also extremely grateful to our many generous sponsors, many of whom are also our judges, listed below, who have kindly donated fabulous prizes and some of whom will be exhibiting on the day. We urge you please to pay exhibitors’ stalls a visit to learn what they have to offer, or to learn something about your dog that you didn’t know, or need to find out, or to get something for your dog (or for someone else) that you either need or would like.

Special thanks also to Stuart Serjent of Serjent Design for our fliers, banners etc and Amanda Summons who will be our official photographer and available for private work as she chooses the day’s most photogenic dog.

OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS (S), WONDERFUL JUDGES (J) and FABULOUS PRIZES!

Abi’s Fitness, Trinity Road (S): Vouchers for PT sessions https://abisfitness.com/

All Star Tennis (S): Member Plus voucher (up to 2 adults & 4 children) AllStarTennis.co.uk

Amanda Summons Creative (S): Official photographer and prize for the most photogenic dog - a 30 min photo shoot for your pooch (& you??) amandasummons.com

Beco Pets (S): A great selection of low environmental impact dog toys and treats https://becopets.com

Bellevue Bicycle Workshop (S): Child’s cycle helmet (5 & under) & bike tools pack

https://www.bellevuebicycleworkshop.com/

Bellevue Pharmacy (S & J): Toiletries packages https://www.nhs.uk/services/pharmacy/bellevue-pharmacy/FFE83

Bonsai Espresso Room (S): Voucher & 15% drinks discount on the day @bonsaiespressoroom

Carter Jonas (S): Magnum of champagne https://www.carterjonas.co.uk/estate-agents/london/wandsworth-common

Dilectio cafe (S): Bag of own brand coffee beans dilectiocoffee.co.uk

Dog and Groom (S): A full grooming pack and treat package https://www.dogandgroomshop.com/

D-O-G grooming studio (S): A full groom voucher & pet care items https://www.doggroomingstudio.net/

Holly Frean (S & J): A painting of your dog! & dog box of artist postcards https://www.hollyfrean.com/dogs

The Hope Pub (S): Bottle of prosecco + 10% food & drink d/c on the day TheHopePub

Julie Montague (S & J): A family rewilding walk at Mapperton Wildlands, Dorset https://mapperton.com

Knight Frank (S): A Fortnum & Mason hamper knightfrank.co.uk

MuthaPuppa (S): Bags of own brand dog biscuits https://www.muthapuppa.com/cart - online shop and weekend stall outside Gails, Northcote Road - on a mission to rescue dogs.

Native Son (S): Bag of own brand coffee beans @thenativeson

Oliver Bonas, Northcote Road (S): A variety of doggy accessories and treats

https://www.oliverbonas.com/battersea?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=LPM-London-19_Northcote_Road.

Olivier’s Lounge (S): Wandsworth Common mugs https://www.olivierslounge.co.uk/

Open Air Fit (S & J): Voucher for fitness training (EITHER 3 x kids camp sessions, OR 1 X 45 min 1:1 PT session, OR one month of unlimited circuits or over 60s sessions) https://openairfit.com/

Pizza da Valter (S): A pizza voucher https://www.hardens.com/az/restaurants/london/sw17/pizza-da-valter.htm

Rampton Baseley (S): Yeti insulated lunch bag, dog bowl & water bottle www.ramptonbaseley.com

Skylark Cafe (S): Voucher SkylarkCafe.co.uk

SuperDogLondon (S & J): A 1-2-1 training session https://superdoglondon.com/

Tana Ramsay (S & J): A table for 4 at the Bread Street Kitchen, Battersea Power Station

https://www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/bread-street-kitchen/battersea/

Wolfe Vets (J & S): 6 month Wolfe pack membership wolfevets.co.uk

OUR EXHIBITORS

Abi’s fitness, Trinity Road (S) https://abisfitness.com/

Beco Pets - low environmental impact and carbon footprint dog products (S) https://becopets.com

Dog and Groom, Bellevue Road (S) https://www.dogandgroomshop.com/

Open Air Fit (S & J) https://openairfit.com/

The Urban Vet (J), Earlsfield https://www.theurbanvet.co.uk

Wandsworth Borough Council Animal Welfare/dogs team (J)

https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/environment/animals-and-pests/dog-control/

Wandsworth Borough Council Parks Police (J)

https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/parks-and-open-spaces/parks-police/

Wolfe Vets, Chiswick & Fulham (J) https://www.wolfevets.co.uk/

Dogs and their owners are important users of the Common and can be a welcome sight for all if a few simple rules are followed. Mostly they are but sometimes they’re not. Warnings to dog owners are the second most frequent type of warning from the police issued on the Common.

The bye-laws state that dogs must be under control at all time. Legally, this means if a dog is off its leash, it must obey its owner after a maximum of three commands.

Familiarise yourself with the Council’s dog control map for the Common. They show where dogs are excluded (all playgrounds and the cricket field) or must be on a leash (the area north of the tennis courts). Obey the signs.
Specific rules apply to dogs in the lake/ponds. Dogs must be on a leash when near the lake/ponds and should not enter the water (puddles are okay though). This is because dogs can disturb, injure and even kill wildfowl, including swans, and especially their offspring. They muddy the water, making it difficult for plants to flourish. Most important, anti-flea treatments are devastating to aquatic life, as explained HERE by London vet Sean McCormack on BBC Springwatch, with a guide from The Urban Vet on how to respond. The water is also not as clean as it may seem!
It is an offence under the bye-laws not to pick up your dog’s mess. Put it in the red bins provided or, as these are phased out, ordinary waste bins (but NOT the recycling bins please). Dog poo contains bacteria and parasites that are harmful to people and wildlife.
An individual may not walk more than four dogs at one time without a license. A dog walking license restricts the number of dogs walked to a maximum of six. No new licenses are being issued. If you are walking with other people, these maximum numbers apply to the group.
Please be aware that breaches of any byelaw may result in a FPN (fixed penalty notice) or even a summons. Full details of the law applying to dogs in Wandsworth greenspaces are available here