Inventory Site Record

Rowley Green Common was formerly within the Manor of Shenleybury and remained as such until 1934 when Barnet UDC purchased it for public open space. The ponds were created through gravel and sand extraction in earlier times and the common was used for grazing up until the 1940s. It was used for military manoeuvres in WWII. The common today has areas of grass and woodland, mainly birch and oak, and it is particularly unusual in having a sphagnum bog, rare in south-east England and the only bog in Barnet.

Site location:

off Rowley Lane, Arkley

Postcode:

EN5

What 3 Words:

decide.owners.glaze

Type of site:

Public Open Land

Borough:

Barnet

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Guided walks

Public transport:

Tube: High Barnet (Northern). Rail: Elstree and Borehamwood. Bus: 84A, 107, 263.

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/05/2009

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.wildlondon.org.uk

Rowley Green Common was formerly within the Manor of Shenleybury and remained as such until 1934 when Barnet Urban District Council purchased it for public open space and 'dedicated the land to the use of the public . . . forever'. The ponds here were created due to gravel and sand extraction in earlier times and the common was used for grazing up until the 1940s, and military manoeuvres in World War II. Until these activities ceased, when it became rather overgrown with trees and scrub, the common had remained fairly open heathland with heather and gorse, with a number of mature oak trees and old hedgerows. The common today has areas of grassland and woodland, mainly consisting of birch and oak, and it is particularly unusual in having a sphagnum bog, rare in south-east England. In 1991 it was the first site in the borough to be declared a Local Nature Reserve.

Sources consulted:

Jan Hewlett, Ian Yarham, David Curson, 'Nature Conservation in Barnet' (London Ecology Unit, 1997).

Grid ref:

TQ217961 (521727,196084)

Size in hectares:

9.3 (registered common 8.8)

Site ownership:

LB Barnet (part) Remainder registered under the Land Registration Acts 1925 and 1936

Site management:

Rowley Green Management Committee (Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust & London Wildlife Trust)

Date(s):

1934

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

None

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

Yes: Common (CL123)

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

Not known

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Metropolitan Importance

Green Belt:

Yes

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

Local Park, Heritage Land, Local Nature Reserve. SSSI: Rowley Green