Ecology
Riverside House is located over several acres in the heart of Stourbridge, although one would be mistaken for thinking otherwise as it’s peace and tranquility takes every visitor by surprise. The site is bounded to the east by the Stourbridge Canal, to the west the River Stour, and to the north an overflow weir linking the two. The place has been left untouched for many years which has led to an abundance and diversity of flora and fauna.
Riverside House, in partnership with Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, have adopted a very low impact approach in terms of stewardship of the site, retaining as much as possible of its natural abundance and wildness. The human approach towards the place is very much one of partnership with nature, whilst acknowledging that the site also needs to be developed to enable the human activities to occur, albeit in as sensitive away as possible. There are challenges too - the place has echos of the past - non native invasive species - an abundance of Japanese Knotweed; Himalayan Balsam and Giant Hogweed require a sustained and sensitive management plan; and industrial soil contamination requires raised beds for vegetable production.
“This is Inspiring work” Robert Macfarlane - Author of Landmarks, Underland and The Lost Words
We have begun to enhance the site in several ways: a wetland area has been constructed that was funded by Severn Trent Community Fund. As well as managing the grey waste from the café, the wetland has already proven a haven for different species; we have been busy native planting trees donated by the Woodland Trust that are already beginning to raise the canopy, creating new habitats; a log hive has been purchased from Bee Kind Hives - a bee centered hive that will naturally welcome pollinators onto the site. We are also spreading bark chip everywhere that we receive in abundance - the white rot that breaks down the lignum in the wood also helps remediate the hydrocarbon and heavy metal soil contamination. Over the next few years we want to bring as much native diversity to Riverside House as possible, as this helps, more than anything, to bring the natural ecology into balance and help mitigate the historical damage.
Additionally, as anyone who has worked communally on the land knows, the joy of this kind of work is unsurpassed. To work towards a shared purpose and see the fruits of your toils transpire is incredibly satisfying and fulfilling, as well as creating, in the process, a real gift to the local community.
