Lairage Land 

The Lairage Land is a 4.4 hectare Local Nature Reserve in West Watford, owned and managed by Watford Borough Council. It is bordered by the River Colne, the Ebury Way and residential housing along Vicarage Road. New development just beyond where the Watford to Croxley Green branch line ran forms a fourth boundary.

Lairage literally means  pens, yards and other holding areas used for accommodating animals in order to give them necessary attention (such as water, feed, rest) before they are moved on or used for specific purposes including slaughter. Such sites are now fairly rare. Older Watford residents may well remember the British Beef Company's slaughterhouse accessed from Vicarage Road, occupying land where now Franklin Road, Jellicoe Road, Hodges Way and Stripling Way now exist. 

The site is mainly rough grassland with a bit of woodland and scrub. The River Colne runs along its southern boundary and there is water crowfoot and yellow water lily growing in the stream. Birds such as whitethroats and green woodpeckers have been seen, along with small tortoiseshell and gatekeeper butterflies. There are also Roesel's bush crickets. Badgers and foxes are also present. It is also subject to sometimes extensive flooding and not always accessible.

From WBC's "Landscape strategy & access improvement report Rediscovering the River Colne September 2020"  -

'the Lairage Land section of the Colne is a mix of habitats between the Ebury Way and an area of housing. Access to the Lairage Land itself can be made from the housing areas of Stripling Way and Jellicoe Road. The entrances and paths need improvement but give access to a large area of reed beds that were extended a number of years ago and now require maintenance. Along the river margins there are areas of grassland and increasingly woodland but it is not possible to access the river and occasionally not possible to view it from the Ebury Way. Further along the Ebury Way it is possible to look from where the Ebury Way crosses the river to where the river exits the district. It is possible to see where large swathes of Himalayan Balsam were ‘bashed’ in this area. The prevalence of invasive non-native species throughout the stretch remains an ongoing battle despite various to address them from a range of partners. Much Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed plus an ongoing problem with Signal Crayfish are evident throughout the stretch and eradicating these requires ongoing long-term commitment. Invasive non-native species (INNS) were also recorded along the Colne by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust in July 2019 and are regularly monitored by WBC. Whilst ‘rust’ treatment for the Himalayan Balsam isn’t yet available this should be considered as a potential approach in future'.

Since the "Rediscovering the River Colne" strategy was put in place, there have been significant improvements to the habitats through which the river flows, including the Lairage Land, and this continues to be the case.  It may not be a particularly pretty pocket of land, but it is historically important and worth preserving. 

Research Lynda Bullock

References: Landscape strategy & access improvement report Rediscovering the River Colne September 2020  Watford Borough Council 

RSPB

Photographs copyright Lynda Bullock February 2025