Ivy out of all control

Hi everyone,

I would really appreciate any advice. I have a north-facing wall at the back of my garden which is home to a wisteria; a thin wiry climber with tiny dark green leaves which gets everywhere and looks a mess (no idea what it is); and approximately four thousand tonnes of ivy. All of them are climbing over from the garden behind us, although the ivy has also rooted on our side.

They have become so overgrown and matted that the framework of thick branches at the top now stands about 4 feet away from the wall, and they are totally intertwined.

Basically, I desperately need to get them all under control (and if I could eradicate the horrible wiry one completely I would). I am a bit limited in what I can do because they are coming over the wall from the neighbour's garden.

The main problem is the ivy - the wisteria feels like it should be more manageable. Most of the articles that I have read on this site suggest cutting the ivy down to almost ground level. I am loath to do that, because the ivy offers the best nesting space for birds in our central London garden. But if I just take off the growing tips, the thick stems are exposed which looks ugly, and it doesn't solve the problem of how much it overhangs from the wall.

Whatever I do, I suspect I'll need to wait for the winter again (and certainly until nesting season is over). But does anyone have any wise advice on a) how to attack ivy without totally destroying it, and b) how drastically I can prune the wisteria, given that it's not actually mine and I don't want to inadvertently kill it?

Thank you so much!