Park of the week

79. Rushgrove Park

Rushgrove Park is an elongated green space in Colindale. The land it occupies has been open for a long time. Even in the nineteen thirties, when the area was transformed from rural landscape to suburbs, the land was not built on, most likely because it was liable to flooding. In 1937, the local authority bought the land from the Grand Union Canal Company, and named it Colindeep Open Space. By the mid nineteen fifties it had been laid out as a recreation ground by the mid nineteen fifties, with paths, a pond and tennis courts. The pond has since been covered over and today the park comprises winding paths bordered by woodland. Among its trees are gingko (my favourite, hooray), catalpa (also known as Indian Bean Tree, which has heart-shaped leaves) and conifers. It’s a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation and there are plans to create a new wetland area to reduce the risk of flooding.

The Silk Stream, a tributary of the River Brent, flows through the park, as it does through Watling and Silkstream Parks, which were created as part of housing estate development, and  Montrose Playing Fields (see previous posts about these), on its way to the Welsh Harp Reservoir (and about this). There’s not much in it by way of water plants but sticklebacks, ducks and grey wagtail can be seen. 

The Thames21 volunteer group, who work with communities to improve rivers and canals, regularly do conservation work in the river in Rushgrove Park, such as river fly monitoring (a good indicator of river health), removing Himalayan Balsam and general cleaning up.

The park has a playground, tennis courts, basketball hoop, a multi-sports court, but no café or toilets. Parking is available on the surrounding streets.

Judith Field

Rushgrove Park, Rushgrove Avenue, London NW9 6RD