Things to do and see
Shuttle Riverway - Stage 3, Bexley Woods to Hall Place
Route Guide
The Shuttle Riverway is a signposted walk along the River Shuttle, a small
tributary of the River Cray, which it joins at Hall
Place near Bexley. The walk then joins the Cray Riverway,
which follows the Cray through to the Darent at Crayford Marshes and through the
marshes to the Thames. The route for walkers is described in three sections, starting
from the Green Chain Walk at Avery Hill Park and continuing eastwards eventually
to join up with the Cray Riverway at Hall Place. The entire walk covers a distance
of approximately 5 miles but it is possible to start and finish this walk at various
points along its length.
 Bexley
Woods - 11
The most common tree here is hornbeam, which can be recognised
by its oval, parallel-veined leaves and three-pointed fruits (photo courtesy
of Tony Coppen). This ancient woodland was once managed by coppicing, a system
where the trees were felled to a few inches above ground level and allowed to
regrow. Every 5 - 15 years this regrowth would be recut to provide material for
building, fencing and firewood.
As well as being of economic benefit, coppicing favours many woodland plants
and animals through allowing light to reach the woodland floor and by providing
a range of habitats from newly-cut glades to dense thickets.
There are a number of bends, or meanders, along this section of the Shuttle.
Erosion is greatest on the outside (concave) bank, where the water is flowing
fastest. On the inside of the bend the relatively sluggish flow encourages the
deposition of sand, pebbles and other material derived from further upstream.Pebble
deposits also occur in the centre of the river bed, and these are called "Channel
Bars".
Riverdale Road - 12
Mid-way along this section you may notice relatively shallow,
rapidly flowing sections of the river called "Riffles", and deeper,
more tranquil sections called "Pools".
Towards the down-stream end the river is cutting into the bank in a number
of places, exposing the sediments. These sediments probably date from the Pleistocene
or "Ice Age" epoch over 10,000 years ago.
BETHS (Boys) School 13
Here the riverbank has abundant tree cover, principally composed
of alder, crack willow, black poplar, trees which prefer damp soil. On the north
bank the tree cover is extended to form an oak dominated woodland with a few sycamore
and silver birch.
Some large black poplars and crack willows can be seen on the south bank.These
trees are difficult to tell apart in winter, but in summer the poplar's kite-shaped
leaves are easily distinguished from the long thin leaves of the willow.
The Warren 14
The name has its origins in the 16th Century, when it was said
that rabbits were kept for sale there. The farmhouse was used as a hospital for
Hall Place School in 1845 despite being known locally as the "Pest House",
after a carrier died of plague there in 1665 following a trip to London.
Warren Farmhouse was demolished in 1937 and its former site is now an open
mown area bordered by long grass and shrub, whilst most of the hillside is covered
by oak and elm woodland.
The abundance of insects which these woodlands support provides food for a
variety of birds. Blue tits and treecreepers feed mainly in the trees whilst robins,
wrens and dunnocks forage mostly on the ground and in the shrub layer. Other species
which do not feed solely on insects also take advantage of the variety of shelter
and nesting sites available in the woodland.
This site has been occupied since the 13th Century. The present
house is part-Tudor, and part-Jacobean. The notorious rake, Sir Francis Dashwood
of Hell-Fire Club fame, owned it and it was occupied for 70 years by a private
boarding school for boys. The last tenant was the Countess of Limerick, who lived
there until 1943. The Grade 1 listed building is now managed for the Council by
Bexley Heritage Trust, and houses museum and interpretation galleries and a Tourist
Information Centre.
At Hall Place the Shuttle joins the River Cray and the Cray Riverway walk can
be followed north to Crayford Marshes and the River Thames or south to Foots Cray
Meadows. The 132 bus route will take you from Gravel Hill to the Avery Hill end
of the Shuttle Riverway.
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