Last week I went to Shirenewton to talk to the local history society about meadows and traditional haymaking. It was arranged a year ago, but it turned out to be well timed, for Shirenewton village has just acquired land for a village meadow. The village has two centres, separated by small fields, and it is for these that the community raised a nearly-six-figure sum.
I did not see the field itself, but I understand that its a pleasantly flowery meadow with lots of colour but no great rarities, and that it is studded with 25 oaks – a meadow-parkland, in fact. The idea is that this will remain a public open space; that it will be treated as an ordinary meadow with grazing after the hay has been taken; and that it will be used for teaching by the local school. In the not-too-distant future, I hope to be invited to a village haymaking gathering, one of the lost traditions of rural Britain. An example for our own community?
A postscript on Shirenewton’s parish meadow.
My lecture on traditional haymaking, which was given to Shirenewton’s history society earlier this year, led yesterday to a unique experience – I called at the primary school to judge their frog-drawing competition. The group that now manages what will be the parish meadow wanted a logo for their notepaper, so they asked the village school to create one. In the event almost all the children of all ages entered, so we had a great pile of drawings to sift through. Some of the younger children produced what I would have to call ‘primordial’ or ‘proto’ frogs, but the oldest age group produced many fine and amusing designs. In the event, we chose one that had been fashioned from different-coloured plasticines, then photographed. All very encouraging: the children are now keen, and the teachers will be using the meadow (which is next door to the school) for teaching. The meadow itself has been neglected in recent years, but it will recover with the right management. It has marshes, a stream, and several large, spreading oaks, one of which supports a well-used swing. Altogether a fine village asset.