Foots Cray Meadows

Foots Cray Meadows in the London Borough of Bexley is a riverside public park and Local Nature Reserve of about 97 hectares. The River Cray runs through the site, cutting a ribbon of water, pools and small weirs that mark where ornamental lakes once served an estate house. Paths follow the river, linking open grassland, patches of ancient woodland and areas of meadow that are managed for hay. The meadows host a network of informal routes used by walkers and cyclists, and there are sports pitches and play spaces at the park edge.

Remnants of estate landscaping remain in the form of long tree-lined rides and the layout of channels beside the river, while veteran oak and ash trees punctuate the grasslands. Birdlife is drawn to the river margins and ponds, and wintering wildfowl can be seen on the larger pools. The site is managed by the borough with conservation objectives and public access in mind, so it functions both as urban greenspace and as a corridor for wildlife following the course of the River Cray.