Greener and wilder: urban conservation making spaces inclusive to all

The Trust’s series of autumn walks and talks continued on Friday 25 October with a tour of the Charterhouse Heritage Park in the heart of Coventry, followed by speaker and blogger Matthew Frith, Director of Policy and Research at the London Wildlife Trust.

Gareth Morgan, the Trust’s Regional Development Manager for the South, has been working with partners including Coventry City Council, Historic Coventry Trust and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust to develop plans to regenerate this unique urban wild place in the heart of Coventry.

The afternoon kicked off with a somewhat damp (and at times very damp!) tour of the site, where the built heritage includes a grade 2 listed viaduct, designed by Robert Stephenson in 1837; a medieval monastic house with unique wall paintings; historic bridges and tunnels; and sluice gates across the river Sherbourne which were built to help firefighters gather enough water to extinguish fires during the second world war.As it has been left unmanaged for decades, the site is already home to a host of wildlife, including more than 40 species of birds, otter, fox, badger, muntjac, and roe deer. An eel has been spotted in the river as testament to improving water quality, and visitors on the tour were graced with several sightings of egret and heron. The River Sherbourne has flowed beneath the city since the 1960s when the city centre was redeveloped. Now it could become a vitally important element of the site.

Despite being located near the city centre, with a trainline and busy roads, and an incinerator and recycling plant close by, the site felt surprising tranquil and wild.

Gareth’s presentation on the Trust’s vision for the site was inspiring and included: wetlands created from a car park; a wildflower meadow seeded on an unused grass bank; river meanders created to help the water flow and support more wildlife; footpaths and bridleways developed to make the site more accessible; increased educational activities with children; wellbeing and volunteering opportunities.

Mathew Frith’s talk explored the history of work carried out by the London Wildlife Trust and the successes they have achieved over four decades, and shared the surprising fact that the city is home to a wider biodiversity than many rural, especially agricultural landscapes.

Huge thanks to everyone who attended - and further supported our work in wild places by buying our seasonal merchandise, including diaries, calendars and Christmas cards.

• View our Christmas collection.