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The Great Britain Guide

Wildlife reserves · London

Gilbert's Pit

Free admission

Gilbert's Pit — nature reserve in Charlton, London, England.

Gilbert's Pit, wildlife reserves in London

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
2 h–4 h
Best time of year
Autumn & winter (migration & wildfowl)
Nearest railway station
Charlton · 0.8 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Gilbert's Pit is a wildlife reserve in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: Site of Special Scientific Interest. Wikidata describes it as: "nature reserve in Charlton, London, England". Coordinates: 51.4888°, 0.0418°.

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Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Gilbert's Pit (Charlton) SSSI

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Gilbert's Pit is a 5.2-hectare (13-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Charlton in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It was notified in 1985 and was formerly known as Charlton Sand Pit. It is a Geological Conservation Review site. It is also part of the Maryon Wilson Park and Gilbert's Pit Local Nature Reserve. It adjoins Maryon Park and is close to Maryon Wilson Park.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

There was a Romano-British settlement on Cox's Mount, the summit of Gilbert's Pit, between the first and fifth centuries. The area was part of the ancient Hanging Wood. The Pit was part of the estate of the Maryon-Wilson family. From the late eighteenth century to 1889 it was worked for sand, and it was named after one of the managers, Mr E. Gilbert. It was purchased by the London County Council in 1930.

Visiting

Much of the site is fenced off. There is access to the part which is open from Charlton Lane and a path from the Gilbert's Pit information board in Maryon Park leads up to Cox's Mount, which has fine views over London.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.4888, 0.0418
District
Greenwich
Parish
Greenwich, unparished area
Postcode
SE7 8LE
Parliamentary constituency
Greenwich and Woolwich
Nearest railway station
Charlton0.8 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Gilbert's Pit?
Gilbert's Pit is in London, United Kingdom (postcode SE7 8LE), in the parish of Greenwich, unparished area.
Is Gilbert's Pit a listed building?
Gilbert's Pit is officially recognised as Site of Special Scientific Interest listed.
Is Gilbert's Pit a protected site?
Yes — Gilbert's Pit is part of the Gilbert's Pit (Charlton) SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Is Gilbert's Pit free to visit?
Yes, Gilbert's Pit is free to enter.
How do I get to Gilbert's Pit?
The nearest railway station is Charlton, about 0.8 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode SE7 8LE.
Are dogs allowed at Gilbert's Pit?
Most wildlife reserves allow dogs on lead only, with restrictions during ground-nesting bird season (March-July). Check signage at the reserve.