Forum topic: Arnos Park river restoration project

I'm aware that Gary is a local history expert, but in his message he didn't mention the "initial location" of the brook, he just stated that its current course is more than a hundred years old, which is correct. However, 113 years ago, in 1912 - see the map below - its course was very wiggly. It was presumably straightened when Arnos Park was created after the Walkers sold off their land for housebuilding.



The main road shown on the map is Bowes Road and the school is Bowes School, at the junction with Highworth Road. The stream running in from bottom left is the Bounds Green Brook, and where it meets the Pymmes Brook is close to the easternmost boundary of today's Arnos Park. You can still see the confluence, but it's not as pretty as two "brooks" meeting sounds!

So it's clear that there were a lot of meanders in the Pymmes Brook in 1912.

Of course, none of this is necessarily relevant to the debate over what the brook and the park should look like in the 21st century and there are good arguments both for and against re-meandering the brook. My point is that the brook has only been following its current course for what in historical terms is only a short time and it's not in its "initial location".

 

What I should have stated was that the course of the river remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years, until they built the arches across the Lock/Walker grounds. The location of the brook is still in it's original location, however, a small part of it was straightend at the time during c1931, so that section has also remained unchanged for  nearly 94 years. I have heard comments that the brook used to run through the middle of the property and the council want to put it back!! The brook is still in the same place it's the surroundings that have changed due to housing. If pollution is getting into the brook, relocating it wont make any difference, the council should trace the source.

Thanks, Basil.  I think your map only shows a very small section of the Arnos Park area, and I accept that a relatively small section of the brook has been straightened, to some extent, but I think that a good deal of it has not.  Let's see if we can find some older, more accurate maps.

But, as you rightly say, this may not be relevant to the future of the brook, and the preservation of our lovely park.  It is important that all sides of the argument are heard and respected, and that the views of ALL parks users are appropriately considered.  There are other ways of achieving any necessary objectives, without changing our park so drastically, in my view, and the view of very many others.

We are so very fortunate to be able to use this wonderful park, and benefit from the joy it brings us.  I know that the expression 'well-being' is frequently over-used, these days, but I have to say that this beautiful wide open green space, with its wonderful trees, woodlands, flower meadow, bird-songs, rippling brook, sports field, playground, community garden, is something which certainly raises my spirits, as I take my daily early morning walks, and meet my numerous 'park friends' for a friendly chat. 

I have just returned from a very enjoyable visit to Arnos Park, and I must congratulate the incredible work undertaken by the Friends of Arnos Park, during their regular maintenance session, this morning.  We owe so much to this hard-working band of willing volunteers.  The park looked wonderful, as always, but the work they undertake to maintain the pathways, trees and flower beds, etc., is so very much appreciated, by park users.As always, there were many conversations to be had, and the issue re the ‘new’ brook, was very much on people’s minds.  There is widespread opposition, from park users, to this proposed approach.  Visitors to our park had experience of other parks, such as Oakwood, Oak Hill, Enfield Town, and Broomfield, but come to Arnos Park to enjoy its special atmosphere and wide open spaces.  Many people said that they had been very disappointed in other schemes which had initially seemed so beneficial, and which had never been appropriately maintained, and their initial promises had not been fulfilled.So let us enjoy Arnos Park, at this time, and thanks again to the ‘Friends’ group.

This discussion has prompted me to further look into maps showing the Pymmes Brook before Arnos Park was created.

On the National Library of Scotland website I found a more detailed map - 6 inches to the mile - dating from some time between the 1840s and 1880s. Using the facility on that website I've superimposed the outline of the present-day boundaries of Arnos Park onto the map and shaded it in pink.

An interesting discovery was that at that time there were two rivers running through the area now occupied by Arnos Park: a natural river - the Pymmes Brook; and an artificial river - one of the big loops that formed part of the New River when it was created in the 17th Century. These big loops were necessary because every time the creators of the New River encountered a natural river or stream that they needed to cross, they had to dig a big diversion as far as a point where the altitude of the natural river was the same as the altitude of the New River. It was only later that it became possible to straighten the New River by putting parts of it in underground pipes and the big diversions or "loops" were no longer needed.

One of those loops ran through the area that is now Arnos Park. I've coloured it green on the map so that it can be easily distinguished from the Pymmes Brook. On the map you can see where the New River used to cross the Pymmes Brook on an acqueduct at a point close to the present-day Piccadilly Line viaduct.

I've also copied part of a modern large-scale Ordnance Survey map which shows the present-day course of the Pymmes Brook through Arnos Park. If you compare it with the historic map you'll see that for the most part the course is similar, but some meanders have been removed. However, the further south east you go, the more meanders there are in the historic course of the river. And you can see that the Pymmes Brook once flowed through where Seafield Road is now located. Instead, the Brook now flows in a straight line towards the bridge under Wilmer Way.



Larger version

I should like to thank Basil for his very helpful and interesting research, evidenced by the maps.  This does agree with the maps which Gary has provided us with.  We now all appear to agree that the original site of Pymmes Brook has not been significantly changed, as it now passes through Arnos Park, except for the south eastern section.  Any proposal to move the brook to the central area of the park would result in a completely new location being established.  I would suggest that the title of LBE's proposal as 'restoration' could well be misleading for many people. 

And yes, we opposers of LBE's proposal do support the desire to improve the quality of Pymmes Brook, but we do not accept the need to re-locate Pymmes Brook - and this is the point we wish to make.  Hopefully, when LBE commences an appropriate engagement process, all sides will be listened to and their views valued and considered.  Obviously, everyone will never be in full agreement, but that is what the democratic process is all about, when making difficult decisions, which affect so many people, in so many ways.

Thanks for highlighting this article.  We await the public engagement events with interest.  A public workshop event was recently advertised, and then withdrawn.  Currently, an 'invitees only' event is being planned, but we don't know when this will be, or who will be invited.

But I went back to read your initial posting on this topic, last year, and you refer to information on the Gigl website.  I accessed this, and was presented with this link:

www.gigl.org.uk/river_restoration/lrap_8/

But this refers to, apparently, the same project, in 2008.  Does anyone know why it has seemingly taken 17 years to get to this point?  I have tried, and failed, to obtain this information from LBE's  'bluegreen' team.  I may well have misunderstood the situation, as I am just a concerned Arnos Park park user, so I do not know the history of this proposal.