The wildlife of Nonsuch Park - 8 November 2006

The evening's speaker, John Willson, is the Chairman of Nonsuch Watch, a group that is dedicated to conserving the wildlife within the park, and leads the fight against predatory developers, and on occasions, an over-enthusiastic local authority.

Nonsuch Park was created by Henry VIII in 1538, from the then Cuddington estate, to celebrate the birth of his son and to build a residence to eclipse the great palaces of France.  The palace was demolished in 1682 and the park was broken up.  The Great Park of some 1000 acres eventually became Worcester Park and Stoneleigh residential areas, but much of the Little Park's 670 acres remains today as an open space and recreational area.  There are a network of paths, and wild untouched habitats, but also a mansion house and formal garden open to the public.

John Willson has a wide interest in natural history and a specific interest in birds.  He described the various habitats within the park from open mown grassland with isolated trees, many achieving beautiful shapes in their isolation, to wilderness areas where nothing is done.  Some of the meadows are left until late in the season before being mown for hay in order to encourage and preserve the grassland flora, including many orchids.

He structured his talk around the four seasons, illustrating his points with stunning and well chosen photographs.  His photographs of birds were really excellent and for each species he played a recording of their calls and songs.

It was extremely disappointing that only nine people attended this excellent talk, and three of these were visitors.  Kath and I were so inspired that we visited the park a few days later. November is not the best time and it was damp and overcast, but the autumn colours were rewarding and the potential for wildlife obvious.  There is a café at the mansion house which was open and provided us with a most welcome cup of tea.

CHRIS BRADING