Barnes Common facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barnes Common
Broom on Barnes Common
Type	Common land
Location	Barnes, London
Area	49.55 hectares (122.4 acres)
Open	All year
Status	Local Nature Reserve

Barnes Common is common land in the south east of Barnes, London, England, adjoining Putney Lower Common to the east and bounded to the south by the Upper Richmond Road. Along with Barnes Green, it is one of the largest zones of common land in London with 49.55 hectares (122.4 acres) of protected commons. It is also a Local Nature Reserve. Facilities include a full-size football pitch and a nature trail.

The common is made up of mixed broadleaf woodland, scrubland and acid grassland and is generally flat. It is owned by the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral, acting through the Church Commissioners, and managed by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, advised and assisted by the Friends of Barnes Common.

Transport

Barnes railway station in just within the common. The common is served by London Buses routes 33, 72, 265 and 485.

History

Singer and rock musician Marc Bolan died on the common on 16 September 1977 when the car he was being driven in crashed into a tree, art what is now Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine.

In August 1736 the common hosted a cricket match between Surrey and London. This is the only time that a reference to the common is found in surviving cricket records.

The Friends of Barnes Common

Legal status	Not-for-profit membership organisation
Headquarters	Barnes Common, Barnes, London SW13 0HT
Main organ	On the Common (newsletter)
Affiliations	affiliated to Barnes Community Association and associated with the South West London Environment Network
Staff	none