As a part of the Mardyke Valley and Thames Chase Community Forest, the area provides a great opportunity to explore and enjoy the countryside on your doorstep, with links to Aveley and Bulphan along the Mardyke Way.
Davy Down is home to an amazing variety of different life forms. The ponds and wetland at Davy Down and the surrounding reaches of the Mardyke are particularly good areas to see water voles, hear a marsh frog or spot a kingfisher near the riverbank.
Davy Down is open to pedestrians and access is possible for vehicles (height restriction 6' 6"" and width restriction in operation) 24 hours a day, all year round. The Pumping Station is open to the public when the Warden is present on site and during the Discover Davy Down open days. In addition, the Pumping Station is open to visitors every Thursday afternoon between 1 - 5pm.
Yes
At the Information Centre
All the footpaths are suitable for wheelchair users. Seasonal variations should be considered before visiting as flooding can affect the path along the River Mardyke. Seating is located every 200 meters, and a change of surface highlights the location of resting points for visually impaired visitors. All seating areas are surfaced and designed to enable wheelchair users to sit next to family and friends. Please contact us for further details.
RM16 5UL
Before opening to the public in May 1993, Davy Down had a long history of farming, dating back to at least 1730.
More recently, the land was used for market gardening, which was abandoned when the new A13 was built, splitting the land holding in half. The farm soon became derelict and unsightly and remained so until the Davy Down Project began.
The area also retains a rich heritage in the form of the impressive railway viaduct across the Mardyke Valley which dates from 1892.
There are also the dominant Stifford Pumping Station buildings, built around 1926-27 to house large diesel engines which provided the power to extract water from a 42m deep borehole in the chalk below. Essex & Suffolk Water still abstract water today using a modern electric pump.
