Healthy rivers are essential to the future of fly fishing and the wildlife that depends upon them. Emma Holdom, Senior Volunteer and Engagement Officer at the South East Rivers Trust, tells the inspiring story of how the River Wandle has been transformed from ecological decline into one of Britain's most celebrated urban river restoration projects.
The River Wandle is one of London’s hidden gems. Once declared ecologically dead, this small chalkstream now supports trout, kingfishers, eels, and a thriving angling community. But it hasn’t been an easy journey. Centuries of industry left the Wandle straightened, polluted, and fragmented.
At the South East Rivers Trust, we’ve been rolling up our sleeves to bring this remarkable river back to life. Today, the Wandle is a living example of how nature-based solutions - and a lot of local passion - can restore rivers even in the most urban settings.
A HISTORY OF HUMAN USE
If you’ve strolled through Morden Hall Park, you’ll know it’s a green oasis surrounded by city streets. The Wandle winds through here, but decades of modifications left the river looking more like a canal than a chalkstream.
Both the park and the river have a fascinating history. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Morden Hall estate depended on its snuff mills, which were built along the river. After the decline of snuff, the mills closed in the early 20th century, but if you visit the park today you can still see the modified channels, waterwheel, and many of the mill buildings.
In 1914, the owner Gilliat Hatfield left the estate to the National Trust, requiring that the park be available for free. The park is now an accessible green space in the city, providing a place to explore the meadows, rose garden and running water of the River Wandle.
RECENT RESTORATION: MORDEN HALL PARK
Our recent restoration projects, delivered with the National Trust and powered by volunteers, have been transforming the river as it flows through the park. Over the past three years:
- 130 volunteers have given more than 650 hours of hands-on help
- Toe-boarding (old wooden riverbank defences) has been removed, reducing chemical leaching and allowing plants to grow back naturally
- Brash berms (bundles of woody material) have been installed to re-shape the river, create meanders, and improve flow diversity
- Large woody debris has been added to mimic fallen trees, creating riffles, pools, and vital habitats for fish and invertebrates
The result? A narrower, faster-flowing river with cleaner gravels, more diverse habitats, and healthier conditions for trout fry, macroinvertebrates, and the wider food chain.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR ANGLERS AND WILDLIFE LOVERS
For fly fishing anglers, these changes mean better conditions for species like trout and eels. Cleaner gravels are essential for spawning, while varied flows create the pools and riffles that fish love.
For wildlife watchers, it means more kingfishers darting low over the water, dragonflies skimming the surface, and a river that feels alive again.
And for everyone who enjoys the outdoors? It’s proof that even a heavily modified urban river can be reimagined into something beautiful, biodiverse, and brimming with life.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE WANDLE?
Restoration is ongoing. With each project, we get closer to restoring the Wandle’s natural chalk stream character - providing resilience to climate change, better water quality, and richer habitats for wildlife. And it’s not just about experts in waders: community volunteers are central to this journey. Every brash bundle installed, every toe-board removed, has been a collective effort.
GET INVOLVED
The River Wandle’s story is a reminder of how much rivers can recover when people care enough to take action. If you’d like to join a future restoration day, keep an eye on the South East Rivers Trust events page or simply take a walk along the Wandle - and see for yourself how a once-industrial river is being reborn.
The South East Rivers Trust (SERT) is the river restoration charity for South East England, which Farlows has supported since 2024. Our vision is that rivers across the South East are clean, healthy & rich in biodiversity. This is because we believe that when rivers thrive, so do people and nature. While the Trust now looks after 12 river catchments from Basingstoke to Dover, our story began in the 1990s on a small chalk stream in South London, the River Wandle.
