Hadley Green has been in existence since at least 1345. In 1471 it was the site of one of the major battles of the Wars of the Roses (the Battle of Barnet). On its western edge Livingstone Cottage was the one-time home of the famous Victorian explorer of Africa, David Livingstone. It consists principally of acid grassland with some damper grassland associated with ditches and seasonally wetter areas, although several permanent ponds also add significantly to the botanical diversity of the site.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Hadley Green
Borough: Barnet
Grade: Metropolitan
Access: Free public access (all/most of site)
Area: 9.98 ha
Description
Wildlife
Acid grassland is composed of fescues and bent grasses but also contains several London rarities, including mat-grass, heath rush, heath-grass, oval sedge and sneezewort. The ditches support London rarities water-purslane, lesser spearwort and marsh ragwort. Further regionally uncommon species are found in the ponds: tufted forget-me-not, arrowhead, lesser marshwort and fiddle dock. There are 11 species of dragondamselflies amongst this site's insect community, including southern and brown hawkers, as well as the magnificent emperor dragonfly.Facilities
Information (on signs); fishing.
View across the pond at Hadley Green © Jan Hewlett
Tormentil and Mat-grass, Hadley Green © Jan Hewlett
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