Hidden Rivers, Circus Elephants & Horton’s Ghosts

There is a hush you notice when you step into Hogsmill Local Nature Reserve. The soft murmur of chalk-fed water, the flick of a kingfisher’s wings, a ripple across reeds. Hidden between houses and roads, this is a living sanctuary in the heart of our borough, where water, woodland and meadow conspire to surprise and delight.

The Hogsmill is one of Britain’s rare chalk streams, rising in Ewell and flowing gently toward the Thames. Over centuries, it powered mills, shaped meadows, and drew people to its banks. Today, the reserve stretches over about 36 hectares of woodland, scrub, grassy rides and riverside fringe.

One of the most exciting recent developments is the Chamber Mead Wetlands, a newly designed habitat where water from the Green Lanes Stream is diverted through sediment traps and marshy planting before rejoining the Hogsmill. In 2025, fifty endangered water voles were reintroduced to this stretch - the first in Surrey in over two decades - after the habitat was restored to welcome them.

New plantings of marsh marigold, purple loosestrife, sedges and wetland wildflowers are already taking hold, inviting insects, birds and amphibians back.

Walk the paths and keep your senses alert, you may glimpse:

In aquatic corners, dragonflies and damselflies dance; beneath the water’s surface, invertebrates and tadpoles go about their secret lives. Bats and small mammals dwell in the edges, their activity most visible at dusk or dawn.

Here’s a suggested circular walk (~ 2.9 miles / 4.8 km) that takes in the reserve’s main moods:

This route is largely flat and accessible, though in wetter seasons some paths may be muddy. For a longer adventure, the Hogsmill River Trail extends out from Ewell toward Malden (~7 km) along the river corridor.

Each step is a chance to observe transformation: how water sculpts land, how life returns if given space, how seasons and weather speak through leaf and ripple. For children, nature lovers, families, or anyone needing calm - this is a place to reconnect.

This week I’ve been reflecting on Horton’s hidden past. A journey sparked by a recent BBC article about Horton Cemetery, which reminds us of the many patients buried there with little recognition and scant records. The story forced me to revisit memories and scraps of local history.

Growing up near the old hospital grounds, I’d roam those quiet fields gathering conkers every Autumn. Even then, there was something haunting in the air. At the time, parts of the hospital still seemed active; I remember how surreal it felt to kick a ball where so many lives had been lived, hidden from view.

Horton Asylum (later Horton Hospital) was once central to Epsom’s identity. Not just as a place of care, but as a presence. Many locals worked there; its wards, staff, and routines shaped the rhythms of nearby streets. Over time, its buildings have been demolished or repurposed, leaving only fragments behind: the chapel, some administrative blocks, and, most poignantly, its cemetery.

The way we treat mental health today could hardly be more different. Where past patients often faced isolation, stigma, and institutional obscurity, today we emphasise dignity, community support, transparency, and rights. Yet when I look at the photo below of patients and uniformed warders in front of the front gate, I see the remnants of a system that in many ways silenced individuals and blurred identities. It’s a reminder that while attitudes evolve, memory must be deliberately preserved.

Question of the week 🔍

Which two Harry Potter actors were born in Epsom?

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Till next time,