A heron and cow parsley in May on the River Crane
I walked Finlay, our Cocker Spaniel, on one of our regular routes this morning which takes us along the River Crane near our home. The Crane is one of the main tributaries of the River Thames in Greater London. Starting in Harrow, north London, it flows through five west London boroughs – Harrow, Hillingdon, Ealing, Hounslow and Richmond – and joins the Thames at Isleworth.
The Crane and its surrounding area is a designated nature reserve managed by the London Wildlife Trust: one can choose to take a circular walk for about 10k. I have done bits of it but, mostly, tend to stick to a well-trodden route closer to home. It is a peaceful and uplifting place to get away from the buzz of the surrounding streets.
Finlay loves to swim: he first plopped into this river when he was only a few months old and I completely panicked because I thought he was going to drown, or, at the very least, get swept away. I needn’t have worried: it was plain to see he was thoroughly enjoying himself, happily paddling along, his little legs going like the clappers.
He has since proved that he finds rivers, lakes and ponds irresistible, so I have to be careful where I walk him: the stretch of the River Thames near our home is gorgeous, with walks along both its banks and I used to meander along there every day, however, when I have Finlay with me I am, sadly, precluded from doing so, because his penchant for taking a dip has led to a couple of worrying experiences. On occasions, he has become over-excited by ducks paddling along and decided to follow them – for quite a way downstream. Once, when he was with one of my daughters, he swam the width of the Thames to the opposite bank – over 800 feet – which created quite a bit of drama: she had to ask the ferry man to help bring him back!
Quite aside from the fact that the currents are often very strong on the Thames, there are boats, paddle boards and various other pleasure craft regularly passing whose occupants would be hard pushed to notice the small head of a Cocker Spaniel doing a bit of doggy paddle. The Crane is a much safer option for Finlay – it is not too wide, not too deep and the trees along the banks provide plenty of good sticks to throw.
Anyway, back to this morning. As I strode along, with Finlay running in front to get to his first swimming spot, I could see a gathering of people by one of the carved wooden benches just back from the bank. There was an elderly Indian chap on the bench – nothing new there, he sits here most mornings and passers-by often stop to sit and chat with him. I exchanged a wave with him, as I always do, said hello, and stopped to see what was going on. Half a dozen people were peering into a selection of large plastic trays full of water. As well as silt from the river-bed, I could see a selection of small creatures wriggling around in the water.
“Who are you? Are you an organisation of some kind?” I enquired
“We’re from FORCE” answered one of the men
I continued to look puzzled, so another gent gave me a bit more detail
“Friends Of The River Crane Environment”
“Oh right” I countered “what are you collecting the water for?”
“We do surveys of the invertebrates once a month to ascertain the water quality and how the wildlife is faring”
“Amazing” I said, joining them in peering into their plastic containers and watching as they recorded their findings
“We are part of the Citizen Crane Project”
“Great name!!”
I discover the project was set up in early 2014 following two major pollution incidents on the river in 2011 and 2013, to keep a check on the water quality. A number of “citizen scientists” and around 50 other volunteers, collect samples and data at monthly intervals from 11 sampling sites spaced along the river system. A bit of internet research tells me this happens on all the waterways across England and into Wales. I had no idea.
There are challenges locally: outside the nature reserve, the area is very built up: local sewage works and the misconnection of some household drains allow waste into surface water and cause pollution in the river. Local dog walkers inform one another when pollution is high – the brownish foam and scum gathering in slow flowing areas is an immediate indication - so we can avoid allowing our dogs into the water.
Despite this the river is comparatively healthy: a wide variety of fish includes stickleback, Barbel, Bream, Roach, Carp, Perch and Rainbow Trout. I have taken videos of them when the sun shines through the shallows on bright days.
At this time of year, the song thrushes are in full throttle with their clever repeating song patterns – over 100 of them - in a battle to attract the best mate. We regularly see kingfishers, herons and a wide variety of song-birds including black caps and white throats that nest in the scrub and woodland surrounding the river.
In the past, since 1066 in fact, the river was an important industrial area with a number of mills using water-power to make swords, oil and flour along its banks. The most important of the Crane industries was the manufacture of gunpowder with mills established during the reign of Henry VIII, and extended under Elizabeth I.
The industry was a major employer in the area but it was dangerous work: explosions frequently occurred, many involving considerable loss of life. In 1772, when three mills blew up at Hounslow, the effects were felt like an earthquake in London and damaged Horace Walpole's exquisite Gothic Revival villa at Strawberry Hill about three miles away. The industry carried on for at least 400 years until Messrs. Curtis and Harvey closed their mills in 1927: the local road Powder Mill Lane is one reminder of these bygone times.
Another is the “Shot Tower”, now a listed building, that walkers can visit as they explore the banks of the Crane. Built in 1828, the tower was used to make lead shot: the process was so simple and yet ingenious. I wonder how on earth they discovered it? Molten lead was poured through a sieve at the top of the tower and formed shot as it fell towards the bottom where it was cooled in a tank of water. Other remnants such as blast mounds, grinding wheels, sluice gates and engine beds can be seen on walks around the area.
I have happily strolled along the Crane on many occasions, listening to the birdsong, chatting to other dog walkers and generally enjoying the river. I can see evidence of the management of the area with hedges being laid, coppicing of willow and cutting of reedbeds, but I’m afraid I rather took this little oasis on our doorstep for granted.
I’m so glad a chance encounter has led me to learn so much more about the area. I have discovered from the FORCE website https://www.force.org.uk/wildlife/wildlife-surveys/ that they conduct all sorts of surveys on the nature reserve – of fungi, bats – there are apparently seven species along the Crane – small mammals including water voles, butterflies and birds. All this information is fed back to a steering group involving Thames Water, the Environment Agency and the Crane Valley partnership that allows the area to be managed accordingly. Isn’t it wonderful that ordinary people, who love where they live, give up their time to dedicate to managing the special places for the rest of us to enjoy. It puts me to shame.
This is a reader funded publication. You can become a free subscriber or, if you enjoy my work and wish to support it with a donation, so I get paid for the work I do, you can take out a paid subscription. For either option click below
Tell me about your local walks and rivers. Are you part of any monitoring or volunteering scheme? Leave your comments below and I shall respond
Thank you again Susy for such a fascinating and enriching article on the local area. I recently had to go to Harrow and had no idea about the river Crane! Our waterways are so important and vital- too often we’re so caught up in our busy frenetic worlds to notice.
I will definitely go walking more to explore from Petersham. Incidentally, sadly my husband and I will be moving temporarily to Dorset, before we relocate to Italy in October but do plan and hope to still receive your newsletters! Will miss Richmond Park hugely and the river Thames walks. Have a good week!
Amazing walk for you. I have not seen minnows and sticklebacks since jam- jar fishing with a net as a child in the murky muddy waters of the River Frome at Frenchay Bristol . Here in the South Hams of South Devon, our village is above the Avon Valley AONB. I swam last summer there just a mile down the lane until the water quality was deemed too dangerous ( with biblical rain ) that sewage systems / slurry from fields cannot cope. The River Dart is also another favourite and two years ago my friend and I had the long stretch to ourselves at Hembury woods above Buckfast . We were swimming quietly and caught sight of the kingfisher land on the opposite bank . Silently we swam to touching distance and tread water for some ten minutes whispering quietly in awe, for it did not flinch as we were on the same level . For the first time in my life, I felt totally at one with nature- a spiritual experience .