Ruxley Gravel Pits
Ruxley Gravel Pits is a little known urban wildlife haven near Sidcup, owned by the Environment Agency.
This 46 acre SSSI site is leased to Orpington & District Angling Association and not usually open to the public. We carry out habitat management work throughout the winter with our volunteer team.
Gravel extraction ceased in 1951 and the pits flooded, providing a habitat for a variety birds and other aquatic species. The site was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1975, for the rich variety of waterfowl and insects found here, particularly dragonflies and damselflies, and wetland flora. It is now part of a flood defense system providing a storage area for water from the river Cray, which flows through the site.
The lakes and pools here are ideal habitat for waterbirds, especially in the winter, and kingfishers breed here in spring. The scrub and woodland is home to a host of resident and migratory songbirds. The reedbeds attract reed, sedge and Cetti’s warbler in the summer, and bittern have been sighted in the winter.
Over 500 species of plants have been recorded on the site, as well as 169 species of birds, 23 species of butterfly, 9 types of dragonfly and over 500 beetles. Mammals recorded on site include water vole, harvest mouse and roe deer.
Tasks at Ruxley Gravel Pits include coppicing, pollarding, control of scrub and invasive species, litter clearance, creation of amphibian pools, and biological surveying and monitoring work.
For more information about volunteering at Ruxley Gravel Pits, please contact lucy.sawyer-boyd@kent.gov.uk
Winter 2026/27
Task dates
Wednesday 4th Nov 2026
Thursday 5th Nov 2026
Saturday 14th Nov 2026
Wednesday 2nd Dec 2026
Thursday 3rd Dec 2026
Saturday 12th Dec 2026
Wednesday 13th Jan 2027
Thursday 14th Jan 2027
Saturday 23rd Jan 2027
Wednesday 3rd Feb 2027
Thursday 4th Feb 2027
Saturday 13th Feb 2027
