Evening History Walk on Barnes Common

Join us for an evening history walk led by our Chair, Mike Hildesley, and find out how Barnes Common became the small local nature reserve it is today.

For over a thousand years, ‘The Waste’ has been common land traditionally used for rough grazing and by drovers as they made their way to market.

In 925, the manor of Barnes, or Barn-elms, was given to the canons of St Paul’s Cathedral by King Athelstan. The boundary, fixed in the late 1500’s as a result of violent clashes with Putney residents over grazing rights, still exists today.

This land holds many secrets: maps show the area almost devoid of trees as recently as during WWII, with considerably more wetland than today, whilst throughout the 19th century, Vine Road Recreation Ground and much of the surrounding area was laid to market garden and orchard.

This walk takes place outdoors and as such please dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy footwear. If the weather is warm, you may wish to bring a bottle of water.

Please note, dogs will not be admitted at this event except guide dogs. All our events are dog free unless specifically mentioned in the event listing.

We will be taking photos and/or recording video at this event. These photos and videos will likely to be used on our website, social media platforms as well as marketing materials and press releases. Please contact us directly (by emailing or in person at the event) if you do not wish to be in the photographs/videos.

This is a non smoking event. Smoking and vaping is not allowed at this event. If you smoke or vape outdoors, please dispose of your cigarette butts and used vapes responsibly as they constitute a fire hazard and pollute the environment.

Not a member of Barnes Common yet? Join us, support our activities and get our newsletter with our latest news and events! Find more information and join at http://barnescommon.org.uk/membership

Concession tickets: All proceeds from ticket sales will support our conservation work and future learning events and we would encourage you, if you can, to pay full price. We do not want cost to be a barrier to our activities, as such we have a limited number of discount concession tickets available, please email development@barnescommon.org.uk for details.

Refund policy:

Unfortunately we are unable to issue refunds on cancellations made within 2 weeks of the event. In some circumstances, we may be able to offer a rebooking for a similar event.

Please contact development@barnescommon.org.uk with any questions.