Marble Hill Park is an attractive landscaped park adjacent to the River Thames. Marble Hill House, in the centre of the park, was built in the 1720s for Henrietta Howard, mistress of King George II. The most impressive natural feature of the park is a huge black walnut tree, near the entrance from the Thames footpath. One of the largest such trees in the country, it probably dates from the original landscaping of the park.Across Orleans Road from Marble Hill Park are the gardens of Orleans House. This fine building was built for Queen Anne’s Secretary of State in 1710, but is named after Louis Phillipe, Duc d’Orleans, who live there from 1800.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Marble Hill Park and Orleans House Gardens
Borough: Richmond upon Thames
Grade: Local
Access: Free public access (all/most of site)
Area: 29.66 ha
Description
Wildlife
Wildlife habitats in Marble Hill Park include grassland and woodland. Strips of grassland in the south and east of the park are mown infrequently, increasing their value to wildlife. Wildflowers occurring in patches where seed has been sown include common knapweed, greater bird's-foot-trefoil, smooth tare, meadow buttercup, oxeye daisy, sainfoin, meadow crane's-bill and salad burnet.A strip of woodland in the northwest of Marble Hill Park is composed mainly of non-native species, with a dense understorey of rhododendron and holly. This provides food and cover for birds and complements the open grassland of most of the site.Much of the gardens of Orleans House are now wooded. Sycamore, silver birch and other young trees now surround specimen trees from earlier landscaping, including cedar-of-Lebanon and Oriental plane. This woodland is developing a good structure with more saplings and young trees present now among the mature trees.Facilities
No information available
Dunnock © Jason Gallier
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