Is this the Borough of Ealing's Most Ancient Woodland?

In the heart of the Norwood Green Conservation area lies part of an ancient woodland dominated by quercus robur (English oak) hornbeam and English elm. Hidden from view the woodland - and the adjacent meadow running alongside Tentelow Lane - it  is sandwiched between the Osterley Sports Ground & Osterley Cricket Club.  

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This surprising woodland has short but charming walks punctuated in the summer by the sound of ball and bat from the adjacent cricket field.  In the Spring the woods are filled with bluebells, and even now they have an autumnal charm with bracken and soft grasses.  Needless to say this is an important site for birds and wildlife.

 

The Meadow

Walk through the woods away from the entrance to the Cricket Ground and you will come to the meadow, which again is one of the oldest meadows in Ealing and can be found as pastureland on maps dated 1746.  Depending on what time of the year you come you may find cattle from the nearby farm grazing on it which helps keep down the scrub and allows more delicate plants to survive. This hay meadow, managed for conservation, has many varieties of grasses and flowers including red field poppies, cornflowers, ox-eye daisies and corncockle.  These along with the various grasses attract and support many insects, and following on from that bats, shrews and birds.  There are scraped areas where you can see the gravel under the soil.
 

Why Visit?

Walk through the peaceful woodland, which despite the recent rains was well drained and not too muddy underfoot and keep your eyes open for small woodland creatures and of course, in spring the carpet of bluebells.

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Additionally, the amenity grassland in the south end of the adjacent sports pitches supports a large population of blinks which is an uncommon plant in London and native hedges have been planted around the fields and skylarks have been heard singing here in the summer.

 

The meadow is a lovely wide open space with a gravelly dipped area leading on to the private farm.  It probably has the most blackberry bushes in the area if you like a bit of wild blackberrying in autumn!  The green views stretch right across the meadow beyond the sports ground and also the toward the farm - the surprising sight of a tractor on the farm beyond was a welcome sight, not something usually seen in an urban setting! Depending on the time of year you can see the wildflowers or grasses and maybe bump into grazing cows or hear a skylark! ​ This is a lovely well managed slice of a sadly lost environment.

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Getting There:

 

Entrance: ​​       Tentelow Lane (opposite Poplar Avenue)
Transport:       Bus: E5
Facilities:         Sports pavilion and playing field, 

Pathways:       No formal paths in the woods and meadow

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