The Tale of Oily Pond
Adapted from Donald Lyven
From hidden leaks and black smoke to a thriving wildflower meadow.
August 2025
Before it became Jubilee Meadow, the ground was a troubled place. Oil oozed up through the soil, and for years we assumed it was the legacy of a long-demolished garage nearby.
We dug out the contaminated earth and laid down a pond liner, creating a lovely pond that lasted two years. But one winter, heavy rain lifted the liner, and oil seeped back in, poisoning the water. It got known as Oily Pond.
We tried to manage the problem by dumping bramble and tree cuttings to absorb the oil. Then one day, disaster struck: the pile was set alight. Flames roared, black smoke filled the air, and fire spread along the path where oil had soaked into the undergrowth.
The true cause remained a mystery until February 2021, when UK Power Network phoned unexpectedly. They suspected a leak in one of their 35kV oil-cooled cables running to East Finchley—somewhere beneath our land. Suddenly, everything made sense.
Within days, they confirmed the leak and began excavation. A temporary roadway was laid across the path, and heavy machinery moved in. Tonnes of contaminated soil were dug out, revealing four massive cables, two of them oil-filled. When rainwater flooded the trench, polluted water had to be pumped away. Beneath a makeshift gazebo, engineers repaired the damaged line, tested it, and finally refilled the ground.
By late March, the work was finished. What remained was a great scar of raw earth, hastily sown with coarse grass that quickly smothered the site. A year later, the damage was barely visible. And two years on, Linda began lifting patches of grass to sow wildflowers.
Today, that once-blighted ground flourishes as Jubilee Meadow—a riot of colour, alive with bees and butterflies, a place reborn from fire and oil into beauty.
Photos by Donald Lyven