Bid to bring magical New Barnet green space back to life by restoring waterfall, stream and pond

A fund-raising appeal has been launched to see if there is sufficient support for a campaign to restore to working order a waterfall and pond in the centre of Highlands Gardens, a small but much-loved public park tucked away in New Barnet at the corner of Leicester Road and Abbotts Road.

Until recent years a stream ran almost the length of the park and, complete with footbridges and stepping stones, was a magical setting alongside a trail of 12 rare and unusual trees.

Today the park’s central feature is in a rather sorry state.

After drying out in the summer – but now following heavy autumn rain – there is some water in the pond and along parts of the bed of the stream

However, the area around start of the stream is overgrown, the pond is full of pond weed, and without an operational pumping system, there is no flowing water.

Long-time Leicester Road resident Ruth Pateman has launched an appeal on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe to save the pond and waterfall.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/community-project-save-highlands-pond-and-waterfall

In the first two days there were nine donations totalling £160 towards an initial target of £2,000.

“What I am trying to do is to see whether there is wider support for a campaign to get the pond, stream and waterfall back into working order,” said Ms Pateman.

“Effectively I am putting a toe in the water. If I can build up some momentum behind my appeal perhaps, we could pave the way for the full-scale restoration of the pond and waterfall.

“Over the years the Friends of Highlands Gardens have done so much to preserve and maintain the park. We all owe them so much.

“As residents, we also accept that Barnet Council’s parks department has very limited resources, so it is up the local community to see if through this appeal we can kick start a rescue.

“Unless we can make a start – and then perhaps see what we could obtain through match funding – Barnet Council might say the pond and stream have become unsafe and that there is no alternative but to fill them in.”  

Laid out over a century ago in the grounds of a house in Abbotts Road built in 1897 by a wealthy banker, Bevan Braithwaite, the gardens were opened to the public when the property was demolished and replaced with a block of flats.

Highlands Gardens have long been recognised as one of the hidden gems among Barnet’s public parks and green spaces.

With the help of a £50,000 grant awarded by Big Lottery Community Spaces and a contribution from Barnet Council, the pond and stream were drained and restored in 2013 and were on their way to being returned to their former glory.

Ms Pateman said that cracks began to appear in the walls of the pond and base of the stream and as a result the water started to drain away each summer.

She is liaising with both the Friends of Highlands Gardens and Barnet Council and intends to keep them both up to date on progress with her appeal.

“I just felt that unless someone made a start and got the ball rolling, we would never know the level of support there might be within the local community and whether there are other organisations out there that can help us.

“The rare and unusual trees in the park are fine specimens, over 100 years old, and informal parks like Highlands Gardens are special and do need preserving and maintaining.

“We all realised how vital green spaces were during the Covid pandemic. The park was somewhere we could all go for a walk in safety, out in the open air, perhaps sit under a tree.

“I have promised in my GoFundMe appeal that any money raised will be spent within the gardens – if we can’t get enough to kick start the restoration of the stream and waterfall, then the money could be used to pay for tree planting, some extra park benches or whatever is thought to be most appropriate.”

Ms Pateman says she is ready for a challenge – and hopes one day that the gardens can renew the invitation of yesteryear to “step across the stream, lean on the edge of the bridge, watch the fish and have a picnic on the lawn.”