Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Landscapes Lost and Found
This Common Heritage
In a bend of the river stands an ancient, open meadow. These 30 hectares
of the
Fe n
, as it is known hereabouts, are a relic. For 600 years, the flint
church tower has gazed through village trees upon an ever-changing
agricultural landscape. This common, though, has survived intact. It is
parcelled into 180 'fennages', or rights to graze cattle, and so is in common
ownership. When the harsh easterly winds drive down from Scandinavia,
the grass crunches underfoot, and the pasture hollows are thick with ice.
On a summer's day, you walk the same route past carpets of yellow
buttercups, or divert past an enclosed hay meadow dotted with purple bee
orchids. In autumn, after a few days of rain, the river floods and spills
upon the pastures, lighting the landscape with the colour of the sky. In
the long evenings, bats flit through clouds of insects, and owls hoot in
search of scurrying prey. Splashes from the river remind us of the
mysterious lives of otters. This Fen is different from the surrounding
farmland, and it has been this way for centuries.
