Ashmere

Ingrebourne Marshes SSSI

South Hornchurch · 6.8 miles

The largest stretch of freshwater marsh within Greater London extends along both banks of the River Ingrebourne in Hornchurch, forming a 74.8-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust, the site contains extensive reed sweet-grass, common reed swamp, wet neutral grassland and tall fen, supporting a notable range of invertebrates and breeding birds. Sixteen nationally scarce species of flies, beetles, dragonflies and crickets have been recorded, together with two Red Data Book species – the hoverfly *Anasimyia interpuncta* and the scarce emerald damselfly *Lestes dryas*. Sixty-one bird species breed regularly, including common redshank, northern lapwing and reed-warbler, while common cuckoos are known to parasitise reed-warbler and sedge-warbler nests. Havering Council has intervened by raising water levels and re-introducing grazing to maintain the wetland’s condition. Public entry is limited to the eastern strip that runs from the river to Berwick Pond Road, where the reservoir at Berwick Pond is open for fishing and can be viewed from Hornchurch Country Park. The remainder of the marshes is largely closed to visitors, although sections are observable from the park’s perimeter. Access points are provided from Hornchurch Country Park and from Berwick Pond Road; no admission charge is mentioned, and facilities are confined to the existing park infrastructure.

Crossness Nature Reserve

Belvedere · 6.8 miles

Covering 25.5 hectares on the historic Thames floodplain, Crossness Nature Reserve lies in the Crossness area of the London Borough of Bexley, close to Belvedere. The site forms part of the Erith Marshes Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation and represents one of the few remaining grazing marshes in London. Its landscape includes the borough’s largest reedbeds, a network of ponds and ditches, scrub and rough grassland. Recorded wildlife comprises around 130 bird species, a notable water-vole population, several rare invertebrates such as five water-beetle species and the nationally scarce Shrill Carder bee, together with plants like Borrer’s saltmarsh grass and frog rush, which was once thought extinct in Kent. The reserve was created in 1994 under a Section 106 planning agreement and is owned and managed by Thames Water, with day-to-day stewardship provided by the RSPB. A Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve group assists with the care of protected zones that are not publicly accessible. The western perimeter abuts the Crossness Sewage Treatment Works and the northern edge borders a Cory-operated waste-management facility. Between 2005 and 2011 the Belvedere Green Links project invested one million pounds in restoring the southern marsh and related infrastructure, funded by the Homes & Communities Agency, the European Regional Development Fund and the Greater London Authority, with Bexley Council as a key stakeholder. In the early 2020s a proposal by Cory for a carbon-capture installation covering roughly 11 % of the reserve was approved in November 2025 despite local opposition.

Crossness Pumping Station

Belvedere · 8.1 miles

A rare example of Victorian engineering, the former Crossness Pumping Station stands at the eastern terminus of the Southern Outfall Sewer within the Crossness Sewage Treatment Works, alongside the Ridgeway path in the London Borough of Bexley, close to Belvedere. Designed by architect Charles Henry Driver for the Metropolitan Board of Works under chief engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the complex was built between 1859 and 1865 by William Webster. Its ornamental cast-ironwork attracted the description of Nikolaus Pevsner as a “masterpiece of engineering – a Victorian cathedral of ironwork”. The station was decommissioned in 1956, later listed at Grade I and placed on the Heritage at Risk Register. Visitors can view the four massive steam-driven beam engines—Victoria, Prince Consort, Albert Edward and Alexandra—originally supplied by James Watt & Co. The engines, each equipped with 52-ton flywheels and 47-ton beams, are among the largest surviving rotative beam engines worldwide. The Crossness Engines Trust, which operates the site as a museum, runs the restored Prince Consort engine on open days, allowing a glimpse of the 11-revolution-per-minute operation that once lifted 6 tons of sewage per stroke. Adjacent Erith Marshes and the northern Crossness Nature Reserve provide a habitat for moths, small amphibians and water voles, adding an ecological dimension to the industrial heritage. Admission is subject to a charge and opening times are published by the Crossness Engines Trust. The museum is managed by the Crossness Engines Trust, a registered charity responsible for the ongoing restoration and public presentation of the historic complex.

RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre

Havering · 8.1 miles

The former RAF Hornchurch sector station, now presented through the RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre, lies in the parish of Hornchurch within the London Borough of Havering, southeast of Romford. Designated as a history museum, the centre offers insight into the airfield’s evolution from its origins as Sutton’s Farm during the First World War to its closure in 1962. Visitors can trace the development of the site from the 1915 establishment of the London Air Defence Area, when the landing ground first hosted BE2c aircraft, through its re-opening in 1928 as a key fighter station defending London and the Thames corridor. Exhibits illustrate the succession of squadrons that operated from the field, including 39 (Home Defence) Squadron, 78 Squadron and later units that took part in the Battle of Britain and the Dieppe Raid. The centre highlights the actions of pilots such as Lt William Leefe Robinson, VC, and Lt Wulstan Tempest, DSO, whose interceptions of enemy airships are commemorated in local street names. Displays also cover the airfield’s role in cross-channel operations, the deployment of barrage balloons in 1944, and its final use as a marshalling base. The heritage centre is listed on OpenStreetMap as a museum of historical type, with Havering identified as the nearest town for visitors planning their journey.

Upminster Windmill

Upminster Bridge · 8.1 miles

A smock mill of considerable age stands on the edge of Upminster Bridge, its four-storey tower and single-storey brick base dominating the local skyline. Designated a Grade II* listed building, the windmill was erected in 1803 for James Nokes of Hunt’s Farm and originally drove three pairs of millstones with four common sails. Over the following decades steam power was introduced, the number of millstones expanded to six, and the mill passed through the hands of the Nokes and Abraham families before being acquired by the county council in the late 1930s. A 35-year lease was granted to the Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust in 2004, and a restoration programme between 2016 and 2023 returned the mill to working order and added a visitor centre. The structure comprises a 52-foot-high smock on a brick base, a boat-shaped cap with an external gallery, and a six-bladed fantail that automatically turns the cap into the wind. Four patent sails are mounted on a cast-iron windshaft, and the internal machinery drives four pairs of millstones – three of French Burr and one of Peak – by wind alone. The visitor centre, built alongside the mill during the recent restoration, is open to the public at selected times, allowing guests to view the restored sails and learn about the mill’s engineering. Access is via the surrounding footpaths; no admission fee or on-site car park is mentioned in the available information.

Beam Valley Country Park

Dagenham · 8.1 miles

Spanning 74 hectares, Beam Valley Country Park lies in Dagenham within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, bordering the River Beam and the Wantz Stream. The site is split between two Local Nature Reserves: the main Beam Valley area and a narrow strip south of Western Avenue that falls under the Environment Agency’s remit. Both sections are also recognised as Grade 1 Sites of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, one positioned north and the other south of South Dagenham Road. Visitors encounter a mosaic of habitats, including mixed woodland, open grassland, and the remnants of former gravel pits that give the landscape a varied character. The ground that now hosts the park was once derelict, yet archaeological traces reveal human activity back to the Stone Age and a Roman pottery kiln, indicating long-term use of the area. A range of birdlife inhabits the waterways and surrounding scrub, with species such as kingfishers, reed warblers, reed buntings and skylarks regularly recorded. In 2014 a pedestrian and cycling bridge, erected by Sustrans, linked Beam Valley to the neighbouring Bretons Manor across the River Beam, improving access for walkers and cyclists. The nearest town is Dagenham, and the park is reachable via local road networks that skirt the River Beam. Admission is not specified, and facilities are not detailed in the available material.