Arrandene Open Space and Featherstone Hill

Arrandene Open Space and Featherstone Hill is a hilly site comprising 23.42 hectares (57.87 acres) of meadow and woodland near Mill Hill Village in north-west London (map reference TQ226919). Owned and managed by the London Borough of Barnet, Arrandene has been designated a nature conservation site of metropolitan (ie, London-wide) importance.

History In Victorian times, Mill Hill and the surrounding areas of Middlesex were important centres for growing hay to fuel the horses that hauled London’s cabs, carriages and carts. By the 1920s, as the internal combustion engine supplanted the horse, hay had ceased to be an important crop and Mill Hill Village was threatened by encroaching suburban development. In 1929, Hendon Urban District Council (now absorbed into Barnet) purchased more than 50 acres of the Arrandene estate for public recreational use and also to protect the distinct character of Mill Hill Village.

Habitat Although surrounded by residential roads, Arrandene retains a rural character because it is bounded by school playing fields and the large rear gardens of private gardens. The habitat includes deciduous woodland, rich ancient hedgerows and unimproved grassland. Its 12 meadows are managed by a traditional “cut and lift” method and support numerous uncommon plants characteristic of unimproved grassland. The rare wild service-tree (Sorbus torminalis) can be found in the broad hedgerows. The only open water is a tiny pond near the south-east corner of the site. (A pond shown towards the west of the site on some maps seems to have dried up.)

Species The birdlife of Arrandene is much as one might expect for such a site. It supports good numbers of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker and Jay, plus Nuthatch and Tawny Owl. Summer visitors include Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. Sparrowhawk and Kestrel are resident. Spotted Flycatcher once nested here but are now seen only on migration, along with other passerine migrants. The lack of open water means that the only water bird one might see is the occasional Moorhen on the one tiny pond. However, the site does not seem to have been regularly watched by birders and there may be less common birds yet to be found.

Directions Arrandene can be reached by bus 240 from Mill Hill East (London Underground) or Mill Hill Broadway (Thameslink). Buses 113, 186 and 221 also pass nearby. Parking is available in a layby in Wise Lane at foot of Featherstone Hill and in two nearby car parks in Mill Hill Park. There is street parking in Wills Grove and at the east end of Wise Lane.

Access Arrandene has 24-hour free access, with four access points from Wise Lane and one each from Wills Grove and Milespit Hill. The site has a network of unsurfaced footpaths and bridleways, which tend to be muddy in places in winter. It is also crossed by a bridle path. Easy wheelchair access is available only from the east end of Wise Lane on a surfaced pathway leading only as far as the small pond.

Facilities There are no on-site facilities, but there are cafes nearby in Mill Hill Park and in the garden centre in Dawes Lane. Shops and restaurants can be found a short walk away in Mill Hill Broadway. The nearest pubs are on The Ridgeway at the junctions with Hammers Lane (the Three Hammers) and Burtonhole Lane (the Adam & Eve).