Fishpond Wood is an area of just over 2 hectares of natural woodland adjoining Wimbledon Common, and is owned by Merton Council. It is part of the Beverley Meads and Fishpond Wood local nature reserve, whose history can be traced back to medieval times. Some of the mature trees are over 200 years old, and the site gets its name from two large ponds which hold water for most of the year, but typically dry out during the summer and so cannot support any fish. They are, however, important for a range of insects, amphibians and plants that thrive in the wet conditions. The feature that attracts most visitors to the woods is of course the wonderful display of locally rare English bluebells in the spring. A team of volunteers carry out a range of tasks each year to manage the wood and protect the bluebells.

The original boardwalk pathway through the wood was installed in the early 2000s, but has since been removed by the Council as it had rotted and was becoming unsafe. Unfortunately the result has been that the path becomes extremely muddy in wet weather making public access very difficult. Also as people attempt to avoid the muddy sections they create new “unofficial” paths which cut across the areas where the bluebells grow, preventing the bluebells from returning and damaging the habitat at the same time.

Friends of Fishpond Wood was set up by a small group of local residents concerned at the plight of the wood, with the aim of raising the funds to enable the Council to install a new pathway, to provide year-round access and protect the bluebells from trampling. We are now a registered charity and have over 100 “friends” supporting us.

Fundraising is progressing well and we hope that the project to replace the pathway can go ahead in the summer of 2025.

Here is a link to the London Wildlife Trust’s original management plan for the wood.