Inventory Site Record

Oak Avenue Nature Reserve was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 1992 having been created on the site of a former derelict garden nursery. Following site clearance and planting of a native hedge and bulbs, the site now has rich habitats of both woodland and scrubland around the boundary edges, a seasonal pond that is dry during summer months, and wildflowers that produce nectar and pollen for local wildlife.

Previous / Other name:

Hampton Rural Centre

Site location:

Oak Avenue, Hampton

Postcode:

TW12 3QD

What 3 Words:

farms.plant.bolts

Type of site:

Public Open Land

Borough:

Richmond

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

See Friends of Hatherop Park and Oak Avenue Nature Reserve for events/activities: https://www.facebook.com/hatheroakfriends/

Public transport:

Rail: Hampton. Bus: R70, 111

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

22/02/2024

Last minor changes:

29/03/2026

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. https://www.richmond.gov.uk/services/parks_and_open_spaces/find_a_park/oak_avenue_local_nature_reserve

In the C19th Oak Avenue was called Hanworth Long Lane, which ran through an agricultural area and by the 1890s was in poor condition. It had oak trees on each side of the lane but it was a mass of mud and standing water in winter. In 1897 there was a petition from a number of residents to re-name the road Oak Avenue. From that time onwards the number of market gardens, nurseries and glasshouses gradually increased on the land both sides of the road.

During WWII much of north-west Hampton was an important area for food production with its market gardens, glasshouses and nurseries. However, after the war there was a great need for housing and Hampton had the only large area of land potentially available for building in the borough. By the 1960s many of the nurseries and glass houses also started to disappear with the increase in imported food, and this trend continued into the 1970s.

The Nature Reserve was created on the site of a former derelict garden nursery. Initially site clearance was funded by the Royal Mail and a Hampton Fuel Allotment Grant. Bulbs and a 200m native hedge were then planted, and the site was designated a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in 1992. Richmond Council then recapped the land with new topsoil, and volunteers from local schools, churches, Guide and Scout troops all helped to develop the site. It now has a mixed habitat with rich neutral grassland, scrub and secondary woodland consisting of elm, hawthorn and ash trees.

In 2013 Richmond Council created a green link with footpaths running between the Nature Reserve and Hatherop Park. On the Oak Avenue side the Reserve is opposite Hampton Common so it is possible to walk from Buckingham Road to Broad Lane (1.5 miles) through both these green spaces, although there is some rough ground.

Friends of Hatherop Park and Oak Avenue Nature Reserve (https://www.facebook.com/hatheroakfriends/) was established c.2017 and organises events and activities in both spaces. 

Sources consulted:

'Volunteers transform reserve', Richmond & Twickenham Times, 26 April 1991; John Sheaf, 'Highways and Byways of Hampton', Borough of Twickenham Local History Society, Paper Number 88, 2009; John Sheaf, 'Pictures of Hampton in the 1940s, 1950s & 1960s', Borough of Twickenham Local History Society, Paper Number 104, 2019; https://www.richmond.gov.uk/services/parks_and_open_spaces/find_a_park/oak_avenue_local_nature_reserve 

 LPGT Volunteer Research by Maggie Coleman, 2024.

Grid ref:

TQ122711 (512237,171107)

Size in hectares:

1.8

Site ownership:

LB Richmond

Site management:

Parks & Open Spaces Department; Friends of Hatherop Park and Oak Avenue Nature Reserve

Date(s):

1992

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

Building of Townscape Merit: Old Nursery Chimney Oak Avenue Hampton

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

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

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:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Borough Importance

Green Belt:

Yes

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

Other LA designation:

Local Nature Reserve