Richmondshire Landscape Trust
The Land
Westfields
This fifty six acre field is our largest landholding and is the only surviving remnant of Richmond’s three open fields which were owned and worked by the community. Each field was cultivated on a three year rotation and ploughs drawn by teams of oxen created a ridge and furrow pattern which survives to this day. These fields were enclosed by Act of Parliament between 1802 and 1810 and over a hundred and two acres of Westfield were awarded to the Corporation. By the 1840s drainage works had been completed and the field was being used as open pasture and small clumps of trees were planted to provide shelter for cattle. During the nineteenth century development decreased the field and the remainder, which was transferred to the Richmondshire Landscape Trust in 2004 is open to the public and is grazed by sheep as part of our permanent pasture in continuance of a long established agricultural tradition which has lasted nearly a thousand years.
Nine Acre Field
This field lies to the north of the southwest corner of Westfield. It shares the history of Westfield and has been largely undisturbed down the centuries. Working with Buglife it was converted into a wildflower meadow to encourage wild pollinators. It is now extremely species rich and is run as a traditional hay meadow. It is lightly grazed by sheep in April. The flowers are then allowed to grow and seed. It is cut for hay in July or August depending on weather conditions and the hay is allowed to lie on the field and turned to distribute seed before being bailed and stored for winter forage. The sheep are then allowed back to graze the field lightly until the end of October, when it is left to lie fallow through the winter. This award-winning meadow has been so successful that we have been able to provide others with seed or a green hay cut to help them develop wildflower meadows elsewhere in Richmondshire and the Yorkshire Dales.
Jack Kings Wood
Jack King’s Wood is a steep sided valley containing a small tributary of the River Swale known as Aislabeck. The map of the historic West Field drawn in 1776 shows part of the area now called Jack King’s Wood as belonging to a “Mr King”. The present area was created by an Enclosure Award of 1810 and the name survives to this day. Surface water from Westfield drains by way of five separate drainage routes known as catchments. The Aislabeck catchment flows through Jack King’s Wood. It runs in a deep channel through the northern half of the wood draining to a culvert consisting of a pipeline that discharges into the River Swale. If the flow in the beck exceeds the capacity of the pipeline excess water flows overland before returning to the open channel upstream of Reeth Road. The northern half of the wood also contains a lagoon which can overflow during heavy rain causing rapid flooding throughout the wood. For this reason the wood has been deemed potentially unsafe and the public are permanently excluded. The effect of this exclusion has been to create a wildlife corridor in which plants and animals can flourish.
_ed.jpg)
Sleegill
Sleegill is one of the historic routes into Richmond by way of its earliest bridge and it safeguards the setting of the town from the south. Two fields, Hillside Field and Riverside Field, formed part of the endowment of St Martin’s Priory, and have been grazed for nearly a thousand years. We are glad to continue this tradition, and these fields, which are wildflower rich are grazed by sheep. Flowers are allowed to grow and seed until the middle of June and these beautiful spring flower meadows are then grazed until the end of October. The fields are set directly south of Richmond Castle on the slopes of the River Swale and are a favourite spot for photographers.
The South Bank of the River Swale
The Trust owns three fields on the South bank of the River Swale together with the riverbank and one half the river which marks the Richmond boundary. The Coast-to-Coast National Trail passes through Top Field leading downhill towards the river and the Sleegill Fields. Historically all of this was, like Sleegill, part of the endowment of St Martin’s Priory and two restored monastic fishponds can still be seen in Middle Field. After the dissolution of the monasteries this area became the property of St Martin’s Farm eventually passing into the ownership of the Richmond Rural District Council and its successor, the Richmondshire District Council, from whom the Trust purchased the land in 2004. These fields, which we call Bridge Field, Middle Field and Top Field form a continuous strip of land separated by gates and hedges for agricultural convenience. They have been used for pasture for nearly a thousand years and are currently grazed by sheep from mid-July to the end of October. They are species rich and a haven for pollinators where wildflowers can be enjoyed throughout the spring and summer months.
The Riverside
The Trust owns the part of the bank of the River Swale which runs alongside our Southbank Fields and one half of the river itself, which forms the Richmond boundary. The riverbank is most easily accessed from a gate in Middle Field. This leads to a channel which reduces flooding in the field itself and a beach side area planted with hawthorns to prevent erosion. This area is lush and green and species rich. Quiet and secluded, it is a haven for birds, insects, small mammals and river dwelling creatures.
Whitefields
In 2014 in response to a planning application English Heritage approached Richmondshire District Council seeking an organisation that might care for a section of Scots Dyke which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument situated near the Easby turn off on the road to Richmond. The council recommended the Trust and in 2017 we acquired a piece of land that was the last remaining remnant of Whitefields Farm. We call the land Whitefields in acknowledgement of that heritage and to maintain the ancient connection with nearby Easby Abbey. As well as Scots Dyke our land includes an area of meadowland and a spring fed pond which is rich in plants and wildlife. The fields are species rich encouraging insects and small mammals and the pasture is grazed by sheep. Footpaths are maintained around the dyke and this historic landscape is enjoyed by walkers throughout the year.