Beyond Deptford

The City managesgreen spaces beyondthe Square Mile

Circle area = managed hectares

Data: City of London Corporation © OpenMapTiles OSM

Why does the City manage forests and commons miles outside the Square Mile? Because the Corporation acquired sites or took over their management at different times. Parliament made the Corporation conservator of Epping Forest in 1878 after a long fight against enclosure. It bought Burnham Beeches in 1880 when the woodland was threatened by residential development. Hampstead Heath came much later: the City took it over in 1989 after the Greater London Council was abolished. The result is a patchwork of forests, commons, parks and other open spaces across London, Essex, Buckinghamshire and Surrey.

Methodology: Area figures come from City of London Corporation sources, including its 2024 natural-capital assessment. Arcs run from the centre of the City of London boundary to 13 mapped locations. Circle area is proportional to managed hectares.

→ See more London data visualisations

Elia Kabanov

References
  1. Baseline natural capital assessment of the City of London Corporation’s open spaces. City of London Corporation, 2024
  2. How we manage Spring Park. City of London Corporation
  3. How we manage West Wickham Common. City of London Corporation
  4. Flourishing Public Spaces. City of London Corporation
  5. How we manage Epping Forest. City of London Corporation
  6. History of Burnham Beeches. City of London Corporation
  7. 30 years of managing Hampstead Heath. City of London Corporation

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