Yesterday morning was warm and sunny but as it was high water I didn’t expect to see much on my regular perambulation upstream to Richmond. Here is what I saw, in order of size.
The towpath was strewn with conkers, a rat sauntered across it in front of me and a jay lit on the path. Further on a heron was camouflaged in the undergrowth.
An Eight came by close to the Surrey bank and then a vessel I had not seen before. It provides an excuse to play Fire Brigade by The Fortunes.
Just below Barnes Bridge, on the south bank, is a nature reserve called The Leg o’ Mutton. I’ve walked within fifty yards of it without turning off to take a look – until yesterday.
It was built as a reservoir in 1838 with a capacity of 103,000 cubic metres. In 1879 that was increased to 260,000 cubic metres and it supplied local water until it was decommissioned in 1960. There were plans for a housing estate successfully opposed by local activists.Instead the council bought the site as a public space. In 1990 it was redesigned as a local nature reserve. It is 800 metres long and 100 metres wide. No bad thing if it was converted back to being a reservoir as London is threatened with water shortages.