The Rickmansworth Aquadrome Project

Extra care for the Rickmansworth Aquadrome

We’re lucky to have a biodiverse nature reserve, which has helped shape our visitors’ cherished memories across the decades. As a much-loved local spot, people visit the Aquadrome to feel closer to each other and the natural world.  From early years through to adulthood and old age, generations of families have connected over their appreciation for this special place and have enjoyed the wide range of activities that it offers – from wildlife spotting to sailing its serene waters.

Beyond the happy memories of its visitors, our Aquadrome has received wider recognition for its thriving biodiversity and array of wildlife, with both Green Flag and Local Nature Reserve status. It also acts as a natural flood plain to protect nearby Rickmansworth from damaging overflow after heavy rainfall.

The Aquadrome has given us so much across the generations. By working together to enhance the Aquadrome’s waters, wetlands and walkways, we can restore and protect its legacy for now and the future.

Over the coming years, Three Rivers District Council, alongside its delivery partner, Hertfordshire County Council’s Countryside Management Service, and with support from external funders, will undertake significant work to restore, improve and safeguard the site for the future.

In line with the 2022 – 2027 Rickmansworth Aquadrome Management Plan, our vision is:

'For the Aquadrome to be enhanced, nurtured, and protected. To achieve a balance so nature can flourish, and visitors can connect with and discover beautiful and unique habitats whilst understanding the importance of the environmental heritage of the site.'

Our priorities include:

• enriching biodiversity and sustainability
• understanding and managing the risks of flooding
• improving accessibility throughout the site
• creating an engaging, but sensitive site identity, with improved signage and interpretation

As a local community, we would love for you and your visitors to feel part of this special journey. Whether you're new to the nature reserve or a regular visitor, your involvement and support is and will be key.

Within these webpages, you'll find information about the different projects we are working on, such as the new pedestrian bridge and improvements to the Ebury play area, as well as commonly asked Q&As. This will be updated as projects come online.

We have recently completed the basline project 'Identify, Inform, Involve’ using Recovery and Resilience funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This project has enabled the council to make some essential first steps in understanding more about habitats, conditions and usage of the Aquadrome- through an engaging programme of community activities and the commissioning of various surveys.

On this page, you can read about the activities and their creative outcomes in the Activity Highlights Brochure and about how we met our project outcomes in the final Evaluation Report.