The Beverley Brook flows briefly along the edge of Barnes Common and Barnes Green, as well as along the edge of the Vine Road Recreation Ground.

The Brook has a fascinating social and ecological history. It is in itself an ecosystem comprising various habitats, and part of a much wider catchment – what happens at the top influences what goes on at the bottom!

Barnes Common Limited is part of a collaborative working group adopting a catchment-based, whole-ecosystem approach. This includes the management of invasive non-natives such as Himalayan Balsam, as well as encouraging native species including fish, eels and water voles.

Monitoring/Surveys

In spring 2019 the Beverley Brook entered into the Riverfly monitoring scheme which, using kick sampling and abundance counts of certain invertebrates within the water, is able to monitor the quality of the water and provides a warning system for pollution events. Barnes Common (by the bridge to the green) is one of the monitoring spots, where each month a team of volunteers help carry out the survey. The results for all areas of the Beverley Brook can be found here.

Water Quality Testing

We started performing regular water quality testing for E. coli on the Beverley Brook at Barnes Green with the help of our citizen science volunteer group in autumn 2025. We will be publishing our test results on our website so you can always check for the latest water quality information.

There are several factor affecting the quality of the water in the brook. The main water source of Beverley Brook is treated water from the Hogsmill sewage treatment plant. In addition to this, misconnected domestic sewage pipes, periodical sewage discharges, surface water runoff and insecticides washed into the brook from dogs all contribute pollutants to the river.

The latest test results will be added to this page every month.