Plans to restore heritage cascades in Grade II* listed Battersea Park gain support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The project aims to fully restore the park’s Pulhamite Rockery and Cascades by repairing damage, reinstating power supplies, and reinvigorating heritage planting.

Development funding of £654,757 has been awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help Wandsworth Council apply for a grant of £2,714,457 to complete the restoration*.

Battersea Park is a flagship greenspace and popular destination for tourists and local people. However, the water feature that cascaded into the park’s 10-acre boating lake, once a spectacle to be viewed from many perspectives, hasn’t been fully operational in almost 100 years. The “Pulhamite Rockery and Cascades” are a rare collection of artificial rocks built in 1865 and designed by prominent garden landscaper James Pulham II. It was his first composition in a public London park, mimicking his work using his proprietary cement known as Pulhamite in royal and private gardens.

Traversing a scenic route around the north side of the lake and culminating at the once eye-catching cascades, the waterfall was switched off between the World Wars. Extensive erosion and trespass saw the feature fall into disrepair, with attempts at repair in the 1980s creating further damage. The National Lottery’s  Heritage Fund’s generous grant will provide valuable resources for preventing further degradation, by completing the investigations, trials and designs needed to restore and future-proof the waterfalls for generations to come.

The preparations for largescale capital works provide an opportunity to engage with local communities, to celebrate shared history and co-create a management and maintenance vision for the park that is fit for the future. The project’s themes around protecting natural heritage, exploring renewable energy options forartificially running water, and better identifying and talking about the unique heritage and its benefits available to us, lend themselves well to opportunities for wide-scale education and volunteering opportunities.

The Heritage Fund project will pull together a range of experts to repair damaged rockwork, install modern water and power systems, and create lakeside habitats that combat the climate and ecological crises.

The restoration will be a catalyst to engage more people with the heritage of Battersea and the surrounding area, focusing on removing barriers to access and offering opportunities for learning. Natural heritage will be promoted through citizen scientists being trained in monitoring species and biodiversity in the park, enabling better data for future decision making. As well as working with the Friends of Battersea Park group, who have been fundamental in making this project a reality, we will work with local voluntary community organisations to engage with harder to reach groups and young people from local areas of deprivation.

Sustainability and protecting the natural environment will be embedded throughout the project, providing us with options on exploring renewable sources of energy to power the cascades long term. Accessibility will be addressed, whilst skills development and job opportunities in heritage and parks management will be considered at every stage of the project.

Cllr Judi Gasser, Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said:

“We are delighted to have received this initial investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to money raised we can now develop our plans alongside the community to get the historic cascades in Battersea Park running for the first time in over 50 years. As London Borough of Culture for 2025, we are excited to explore new ways of powering key features in the park, engaging local people and safeguarding this unique waterfall for generations to come.”

Wandsworth Council contracts Enable to manage parks and green spaces in the borough. If you would like to register your interest in volunteering opportunities around this project, email batterseaheritage@enablelc.org