Moat Mount Open Space and Mote End Farm

Moat Mount Open Space is a 110-hectare park and nature reserve in Mill Hill, part of the London Borough of Barnet. It sits beside Barnet Gate Wood and Scratchwood Countryside Park, forming a larger Local Nature Reserve. Most of the site is open to the public, while Mote End Farm and some areas remain private. The park includes grassland rich in wild flowers and butterflies, along with small woods such as Target Wood and Nut Wood. Leg of Mutton pond and several small woods add to the varied landscape. The site once belonged to Irwin Cox, the Conservative MP for Harrow from 1899 to 1906. Moat Mount Outdoor Centre and Campsite offers activities for local schools and youth groups. The Dollis Brook rises on Mote End Farm, flowing through the reserve. Paths like the Dollis Valley Greenwalk and the London Loop cross the park, linking it to surrounding areas. Scratchwood lies on the other side of Barnet Way, connected by an underpass at Courtland Avenue. Bruno’s Field, a separate Site of Borough Importance, lies south of Moat Mount between Worcester Crescent and Marsh Lane. Once part of Highfield House’s park, it is now pasture for cattle from the Royal Veterinary College. The field has a varied landscape with a pond, small streams, and eighteenth-century oak boundaries. Though private, its presence adds to the area’s natural diversity. The reserve’s varied habitats support a wide range of wildlife.