MORTIMER TERRACE NATURE RESERVE

Mortimer Terrace Nature Reserve is a small yet beautiful reserve tucked away between busy Gordon House Road and the Overground railway line between Gospel Oak station and Upper Holloway. Its origins begain in 1897, when the railway line was built, a covenant was issued to ensure the land remained a space of nature that would be undeveloped as a buffer to protect residents from pollution ‘in perpetuity’. The developer Mark Fitzpatrick took ownership of this land and was allowed to divide it it into two parcels by Camden Council. One parcel became Apostles Lodge. In 1987 Mark Fitzpatrick granted a 10 year lease to the London Wildlife Trust for the nature reserve. 
 
While the Wildlife Trust acted as guardians of the site initially, it was local resident Jeanne Pendrill and a dedicated group of volunteers who have have looked after this site for the last 35 years. At first with the help of the London Wildlife Trust they turned it into an haven of biodiversity. Late when the London Wildlife Trust passed on management to Jeanne more formally, the need for better protection became clear. in 2014 it was formally designated an Asset of Community Value with Camden Council and soon after the Mortimer Terrace Nature Reserve Trust was established to help protect and manage the site. Jeanne and the Trustees continued to offer monthly workdays open to the wider community, regular visits from local primary schools and other valuable contributions from organisations like the Green Gym. Despite this obvious love and commitment from the local community, unfortunately after a series of shorter leases, followed by a tenancy at will agreement, the family of Mark Fitzpatrick decided to try to sell the land to property developers in 2019 and Jeanne and the other Trustees were evicted from the site.
 
In 2019 a lengthy and exhausting four year campaign ensued led by Jeanne Pendrill, Terry Reynolds, Camden Community Makers CLT, and supported by the DPNF and other MTNR trustees. Such was the strength of local community opposition, that we successfully got the reserve withdrawn from auction. However, soon after the auction we learnt that the Fitzpatrick family had passed ownership of the site onto a Mr Hamburger, who then leased the site to a forest school and put the site back up for auction, despite selling being blocked by its ACV status. Our campaigning and activism, together with the strength of feeling, and media scrutiny and councillor Anna Wright’s support helped Camden Council to acknowledge its value as a nature reserve that should not be developed.  The Council then stepped in and offered purchase the site before transferring the ownership of the site to the MTNR trustees so the reserve can once more be protected in perpetuity. The trustees of the nature reserve are now waiting to complete this handover.