Isabella Plantation
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Isabella Plantation is a woodland garden in Richmond Park in south west London. It is managed by The Royal Parks.
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The Isabella Plantation was established in the early 19th century when Lord Sidmouth, who was Deputy Ranger of Richmond Park and a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, fenced it as an area of woodland to keep the park's deer out.[1][2] After World War II it was transformed into a woodland garden. It is now organically run, resulting in a rich flora and fauna. Opened to the public in 1953,[3] it is now a major visitor attraction in its own right.
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In October 2012 it was reported that about 40 per cent of the Isabella Plantation is covered with Rhododendron ponticum, a non-native and invasive variety of rhododendron introduced by the Victorians, and that this would be removed over the next five years.[4]
In 2014, improvements were made to the Plantation to incorporate new direction signs, wheelchair-accessible pathways and toilets and a new shelter and gazebo through a project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The works also incorporated de-silting of all three ponds in the Plantation and establishing new waterfalls in the streams, funded by The Royal Parks with contributions from the Friends of Richmond Park.[5]
References
- ↑ "Richmond Park: Landscape History". The Royal Parks. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ John Cloake (1996). Palaces and Parks of Richmond and Kew. Phillimore & Co Ltd. p. 196. ISBN 9781860770234. OCLC 36045530. OL 8627654M.
- ↑ The First 50 Years (PDF). Friends of Richmond Park. 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2012. p.32
- ↑ Patrick Grafton-Green (18 October 2012). "Richmond Park's Isabella Plantation facing the chop". Richmond and Twickenham Times. London. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- ↑ Ron Crompton and Michael Davison (Autumn 2014). "Isabella Plantation". Friends of Richmond Park Newsletter: 12.
External links
- The Royal Parks: Isabella Plantation
- VisitRichmond: Isabella Plantation
- Panoramic Earth: Isabella Plantation
Coordinates: 51°25′59″N 0°16′37″W / 51.433°N 0.277°W