Parklife
Cassiobury Park is what remains of the grounds of Cassiobury House, formerly the residence of the Earls of Essex.
The last incarnation of the house was demolished in 1927 after a fire and the salvaged materials used in various buildings around the town. The grand staircase was transported to the Metropolitan museum of Art in New York, the "Turret Clock" resides in the British museum. The grounds were purchased by the Borough of Watford.
The park provides a green corridor fro the heart of the town to the Hertfordshire countryside. It is an excellent amenity, and with its' mix of mature trees, riverine habitat and managed grassland it attracts a good range of wildlife.
Foxes are well at home in the hinterland between the park itself and the gardens of the adjacent houses and there is a good range of commoner, and some scarce, bird species:
It has long been one of the best places to see Lesser spotted woodpecker, alongside its' commoner cousins, and several species of warbler, including Blackcap and Chiffchaff are present. Water birds include Mallard, Moorhen and Coot, Grey heron, Kingfisher and Grey wagtail, with the occasional Water rail in winter; a spotted crake frequented the marshy area between the canal and the river Gade back in 1981 and this secretive species may have occurred since. Little egrets have been roaming the Gade valley in recent years and have been seen several times in the park.
A nature reserve stretches out up the Gade valley and habitat development work is going on to restore the former watercress beds alongside the New Playing Fields.
Interesting woodcarving projects have included the "Owl Tree", near the "Cha Cha Cha" cafe, and carvings on the wooden bridge across the Gade at the bottom end of the park.
There is a miniature railway, paddling pools and small snack bar at this end too.
The last incarnation of the house was demolished in 1927 after a fire and the salvaged materials used in various buildings around the town. The grand staircase was transported to the Metropolitan museum of Art in New York, the "Turret Clock" resides in the British museum. The grounds were purchased by the Borough of Watford.
The park provides a green corridor fro the heart of the town to the Hertfordshire countryside. It is an excellent amenity, and with its' mix of mature trees, riverine habitat and managed grassland it attracts a good range of wildlife.
Foxes are well at home in the hinterland between the park itself and the gardens of the adjacent houses and there is a good range of commoner, and some scarce, bird species:
It has long been one of the best places to see Lesser spotted woodpecker, alongside its' commoner cousins, and several species of warbler, including Blackcap and Chiffchaff are present. Water birds include Mallard, Moorhen and Coot, Grey heron, Kingfisher and Grey wagtail, with the occasional Water rail in winter; a spotted crake frequented the marshy area between the canal and the river Gade back in 1981 and this secretive species may have occurred since. Little egrets have been roaming the Gade valley in recent years and have been seen several times in the park.
A nature reserve stretches out up the Gade valley and habitat development work is going on to restore the former watercress beds alongside the New Playing Fields.
Interesting woodcarving projects have included the "Owl Tree", near the "Cha Cha Cha" cafe, and carvings on the wooden bridge across the Gade at the bottom end of the park.
There is a miniature railway, paddling pools and small snack bar at this end too.
