Richmond Park National Nature Reserve

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Overview

Every year millions of Londoners and tourists visit Richmond Park, the largest of the capital’s eight Royal Parks and the biggest open space in London. It is also London’s largest NNR. The reserve is home to the beautiful Isabella Plantation, Pembroke Lodge and large herds of both red and fallow deer. Richmond Park is a top UK site for ancient trees, particularly oaks, which have great historic and wildlife importance. The trees and associated decaying wood support nationally endangered species of fungi, as well as a remarkable range of nationally scarce invertebrates such as the cardinal click beetle and the stag beetle. Over one thousand species of beetle, more than a quarter of the British list, have been recorded in the park. Birdlife in Richmond Park is hugely varied with around 144 species recorded over the last 10 years and 63 breeding species, including all three native woodpeckers, kestrels, owls and a range of waterfowl. Ground-nesting birds that breed in the acid grassland of the park include the skylark, reed bunting, stonechat and meadow pipit.

Location

Richmond upon Thames

About the area

London, the UK’s capital, is a metropolis of famous landmarks, unrivalled shopping, world-renowned arts venues, galleries and museums, dining and award-winning theatre. London is steeped in royal history, and visitors can watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, learn about the final days of Anne Boleyn at the Tower of London, or take a leisurely stroll around the capital’s Royal Parks.