The Bury Grounds Biodiversity Project

Welcome to the Bury

This 4.2 hectare green space in Rickmansworth once formed the grounds of the Bury House, which historically was the Manor House of Rickmansworth. Flowing through the Bury Grounds is Taylor’s Cut, a small loop of the river which re-joins the River Colne and was created in the 1840’s to allow barges to access the house.

There are many opportunities to enhance, restore and protect this greenspace as at present the site requires attention as much of the space has encroaching shrubbery, a dense woodland canopy and the wetland here has the ability to store flood water making it difficult to access.

The good news is that there is the potential to naturalise and enhance the habitat giving this potentially beautiful area a sense of identity by creating a safe, welcoming green space for all to use.

Three Rivers District Council plans to develop and deliver an improvement project, working collaboratively with its partners: Affinity Water, the Environment Agency, Batchworth Community Council, the Colne Valley Regional Park, Groundworks South, and the Three Rivers Museum. The project will not only improve the river’s health but also bring positive changes for the surrounding habitats and public accessibility.

The overall project aims are to:

Naturalise the river - Taylors Cut is an artificial channel which is a dark, lifeless environment and recommendations are being assessed to reestablish this channel with low-flow in-channel features made from natural materials sourced on-site. Examples of features likely to be included are:

• Berm: low level shelves constructed in a river channel to reinstate the natural sinuosity
• Tree Hinges: where a tree is partially cut, laid into the channel while remaining alive, they are firmly secured and able to grow.
• Flow Deflectors: a series of low structures in the river bed that irregularly narrow the bed causing variation in flow velocity

Protecting the habitats

Historical mapping has shown that the habitat composition present at The Bury greatly differs to what was previously there. Before the area was much more open and most likely used for grazing. This shift highlights how ecosystems can naturally evolve when management is reduced, but also highlights some challenges, like the dominance of sycamore and a lack of biodiversity.  However, by focusing on preserving important feature trees and encouraging a more diverse mix of species, the habitat will become healthier and more resilient. Thinning also allows more light to reach the forest floor, which can help support a variety of plant species and improve the overall accessibility of the area for the community.

We would like to acknowledge and thank our partners as we embark on this work.