Maintenance and conservation work by volunteers from the Friends of Whitewebbs Park October 2026
Project 1 – The Aqueduct
Project 2—Rangers Grave
Project 3—path clearing and waymarking
The Aqueduct—What are we doing?
The Flash Lane aqueduct has Grade 2 listed status. It was built, along with the brick bridge, in the early 19th Century to shorten a loop in the New River. It carried the New River over Cufley Brook.
There is an information board on Flash Lane with more details about the Aueduct’s history.
The Aqueduct gets covered in moss, brambles and other vegetation. It was last cleared in 2018 by Community Service Volunteers. Since then it has become much overgrown and inaccessible .
Our programme of work:
- Create a safe access route to the Aqueduct from the Northern End. This has been done
2. Clear a second access route at the Southern end.
3. Cut back the brambles and other vegetation.
4. Clear the moss from the Aqueduct itself.
5. Use the cleared vegetation and logs to create wildlife habitat piles in suitable nearby spots.
6. Continue a regular maintenance programme through the year.
All who want to help with this and other projects are welcome to join in. Dates and times will be announced on Facebook in “Walking in Whitewebbs” and “Whitewebbs Woof and Walkers”. Information will also be posted at the Café. Scheduled dates Wednesday 14th October at 8.00 a.m. and Saturday 17th October at 9.00 a.m.
We have found that secateurs, long handled shears, loppers, rakes and pruning saws to be the the most useful tools. We have some, but feel free to bring your own.
This is real rough gardening, so please wear suitable footwear, protect your arms and legs and bring gloves. We lave a limited supply of eye protection. Sessions usually last about 1—1 1/2 hours.
Before we started:
Work in progress – with much more to do
Further Projects
Repair and maintenance of the railings surrounding Rangers Grave.
Waymarking of footpaths through the Ancient Woodland and maintenance of the paths.
There was a waymarked route through the woodland provided by the local RSPB group but over the years many of the posts have disappeared. The woodland is forever changing and many users have expressed concern about losing their way. Discreet posts will give guidance and add an important safety feature if walkers have accidents. They will also provide reference points for reporting safety issues.