Lavender
Pond Nature Park
Site History
Lavender Pond Nature Park was created in
1981 by the London Borough of Southwark in conjunction with TRUE
and Landuse Consultants Ltd with the aim of providing a haven
for wildlife, an amenity for local residents and an educational
resource.
The Park is set in the northern part of
the former Surrey Commercial Docks, once the centre of Britain's
timber trade. It was created on the site of the former Lavender
Pond, a large expanse of shallow water where timber was floated
to prevent it from drying and cracking. The original entrance
into the timber pond allowed small boats and lighters to enter
and leave under a lifting bridge on rotherhithe Street. This entrance
was blocked in 1928 when the Port of London Authority built the
Pump[house. This large and impressive building, which housed the
pumps that maintained water levels throughout Surrey Docks, still
dominates the scene today, one of the very few buildings left
from the heyday of the docks.
The present Lavender Pond recalls the type
of wetland habitats that once extended for many miles along the
banks of the Thames. Trade developed rapidly in the 16th and 17ht
centuries and before long, wharves and warehouses formed a continuous
band on both sides of the river. Eventually, the riverside wharves
and warehouses could no longer cope and that, plus the danger
and delays caused by periodic gales, led to the creation of the
enclosed docks.
Surrey Commercial Docks took shape over
many years, starting in with the Howland Wet Dock (now Greenland
Dock) in 1703. In addition to the main docks: Russia (1810), Norway
(1811), Canada (1876) and Greenland (enlarged 1890s), there were
the shallow timber ponds: Acorn (1811), Lavender (1815) and Quebec
(1926).
The Docks played a major role on World
War II, becoming a prime target for bombers. By the end of the
war, 709 civilians had been killed in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe,
many building had been destroyed and large areas of the Docks
had been badly damaged.
continued...
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