Eastbrookend Country Park is located on large area of former gravel workings beside the River Rom. It comprises a mosaic of grazed wetland and dry habitats. The Chase features horse-grazed meadows, marshland, ponds, woodland and scrub, and 200 species of birds have been recorded there. The country park was restored later than the Chase, although the two sites are complementary in terms of their habitat diversity. Both country parks are Local Nature Reserves managed by the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham. There is a visitor centre and the site attracts many visitors for education and informal recreation. Both the ‘Just Walk’ project and Havering WHI use this site – a Walking the Way to Health (WHI) scheme.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
The Chase and Eastbrookend Country Park
Borough: Barking and Dagenham, Havering
Grade: Metropolitan
Access: Free public access (all/most of site)
Area: 147.07 ha
Description
Wildlife
Shallow pools support rich aquatic vegetation, including the London rarities sea club-rush, lesser reedmace and both common and thread-leaved water-crowfoots, and attract numerous waterfowl and wading birds. The dry acid grassland supports one of London's few populations of spiny restharrow, while other uncommon species include sand spurrey and hare's-foot clover. The birds lapwing, little ringed plover, little grebe, yellowhammer and skylark all breed here. Beds of reed sweet-grass and tall herbaceous vegetation beside the river attract breeding warblers and water rail. Birds spending the winter here include snipe and teal amongst others. The site is also regularly visited by a long list of species passing through on migration, some nationally rare. Several mature black poplars grow near the river, at one of the very few native London sites for this nationally declining tree. Rare invertebrates include the nationally declining hornet robber-fly. Mammals include the declining harvest mouse and water vole. New Zealand pigmyweed is a major problem within the Chase Nature Reserve part of the site.Facilities
Information; Visitor Centre (The Millennium Centre); playground; picnic areas; toilets; car parking; fishing; horse riding
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