Telephone: 01895 833 375
Fax: 01895 833552
Email: colnevalley@groundwork.org.uk
Web: www.colnevalleypark.org.uk
Colne Valley Park Visitor Centre
Denham Court Drive
Denham
UB9 5PG
Landscape of the Colne Valley Park
The Colne Valley Park covers 43 square miles of varied scenery ranging from semi-
The area to the north of the M40 is a distinct valley with rolling chalk hills forming the valley sides. The wide valley bottom has a wetland landscape created by the River Colne, Grand Union Canal and a succession of lakes (see Map 2). Ancient sunken lanes often link the settlements.
Between the M40 and the M4, the valley becomes less pronounced as the chalk slopes become more gentle. This part of the Park has large woodland blocks and many historical parkland trees.
The southern section of the Park consists of a flat plain created by the convergence of the flood plain of the River Colne and River Thames. This area is dominated by five large water reservoirs with steep grassland slopes.
The 'Character of England' map developed jointly by the Countryside Commission and English Nature aims to define our natural heritage in a single framework. The whole of the Regional Park is covered by Character Area 115 'Thames Valley' which is within the Natural Area 'London Basin'.
The underlying geology is London Clay overlain by alluvium/gravel deposits or chalk. These clays were once thickly wooded but Windsor Forest (several miles outside the Park) is now the only significant surviving element of this once extensive woodland.
The River Thames and its tributaries are a major influence on the character of the area. The Thames gravels are of both commercial and geological interest and the river terrace deposits often contain internationally important archaeological remains and valuable fossils.
Gravel Extraction
Gravel extraction has had a major impact on the landscape of the Colne Valley Park over the last century. Former gravel pits have created a string of over 50 lakes running through the park from Batchworth Lake, Rickmansworth to Church Lammas, Staines. The network of footpaths and bridleways in the park offers excellent views of what have become varied and picturesque sites many of which are now very important for wildlife. Many of the lakes are also used for recreation such as angling, canoeing and other water sports. These lakes now form some of the most attractive visitor sites in the Colne Valley such as Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Frays Valley Local Nature Reserve and Little Britain.
Gravel extraction in the Colne Valley continues today. Work has recently started at the Lea at Denham. A conveyor belt has been built to take some of the gravel to the Grand Union Canal where it is then transported to a concrete plant in West Drayton. This aims to take 20 lorries off the roads every day stopping, approximately , 5000 lorry journeys a year.
During recent gravel extraction, archaeological excavations have been completed finding Roman remains, including a well. When the gravel extraction is completed in 2009 the site will be transformed into a series of attractive managed lakes, with paths linking to Denham Country Park.
This map shows general extent of gravel extraction in the park in the past and present
