About the reserve

The site was once a coal drop for the railways into nearby King’s Cross Railway Station, which was demolished in the 1960s. It had been colonised by nature so the Trust ran a campaign to save the site from development and instead create a nature reserve; Camley Street Natural Park opening in 1985.  

The woodland, grassland and wetland habitats including ponds, reedbed and marshy areas, provide a rich habitat for birds, butterflies, amphibians and plant life, while our Visitor and Learning Centre caters for the thousands who visit annually.

Multi-functional floating reedbeds have been placed in the water’s edge along this area of the Regent’s Canal. They incorporate habitats for birds to nest in, invertebrates to live in, fish to spawn and shelter from predators in. The reedbeds also provide a range of ecosystem functions, including the absorption of excess nutrients from the water, mitigating canal pollution.