Darlands
Lake Nature Reserve
Totteridge residents are very
fortunate to live so close to this
site which has been described by the
London Ecology Unit as a quiet secluded
spot with a great deal of natural
history interest.
The reserve originally formed
part of the grounds of Copped Hall
which was demolished in 1928. Copped
Hall was owned by Mr Manning, a Governor
of the Bank of England and an MP.
The lake was the brainchild of Mrs
Manning and was created in the early
years of the 19th century, although
it has been suggested that Sir Humphrey
Repton provided some advice on the
general design of the gardens. Mrs.
Manning had the lake dug out and the
weir built across the Folly Brook
to provide a focus for visitors and
some of the ornamental trees were
probably planted at the same time.
The site has been owned for many years
by the London Borough of Barnet. The
lake was for many years used as a
duck decoy but, since 1978, has been
managed as a nature reserve, although
little active management work has
taken place in recent years.
The main feeder to the lake is the
Folly Brook which rises at the head
of the Totteridge Valley in Sellar’s
Field and there are several other
small streams that flow in around
the lake. The stream flows down to
join the Dollis Brook. The valleys
of the Folly Brook and Dollis Brook
lying on either side of Totteridge
Lane are extremely valuable wildlife
areas containing ancient hedgerows
and neutral grasslands which are increasingly
rare in southern England.
The lake has, inevitably, been silting
up over the last 200 years and this
has lead to the development of wet
Willow and Sallow Carr woodland as
well as Greater Reedmace swamp at
the western end of the lake. These
changes over time have provided a
very diverse wetland habitat which
linked to the woodland with abundant
deadwood and nesting holes lying in
this sheltered site have encouraged
the wide variety of plants, mammals,
insects and birds. The marsh area,
in particular, is a rare habitat in
the area.
Darlands Lake has a good variety of
native plants. In the spring the native
bluebells provide a beautiful sight
and the rare Snake’s Head Fritillary
can found alongside the main path
down from Totteridge Lane. Some other
plants, although probably not so well
known, but with a high local importance,
are the Greater Burnet Saxifrage,
Yellow Archangel, and Soft Shield
Fern. The wood also has indicators
of its probable great age, such as
Wild Service Tree and Black Bryony.
Over 120 species of fungi have been
found. Butterflies, dragonflies and
numerous other insects breed in and
around the lake including Purple Hairstreak,
Speckled Wood, Ruddy Darter and Emperor
Dragonfly. Serotine, Noctule and Pipistrelle
bats have all been recorded. Older
records show that the nationally-threatened
Water Vole is present, but recent
surveys indicate that they are extinct
locally. A further 13 species of mammals
have been recorded around the lake.
It is very difficult to tell how
much wildlife lives in and around
the reserves in a short space. The
best thing to do is to visit the
lake and enjoy this beautiful site.
Neil Ireland is Heritage Reserves
Officer for the London Wildlife
Trust. For more information about
the Trust visit the website at www.wildlondon.org.uk
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