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Little Dewchurch Churchyard Conservation Project
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Little Dewchurch Churchyard Conservation Project
Location: Herefordshire
Churchyards are very important havens for wildlife in the countryside with so much intensive agriculture, so this project aims to manage the grassland and trees in a way that conserves and enhances the churchyard for wildlife, but also makes it a place of beauty, of interest, and of spiritual reflection for the community.
The Aims of the Project which runs from April 2006 to June 2007 are: - maintain the churchyard for the benefit of the community and the wildlife
- establish a community group to care for the churchyard based on a grassland management plan produced by the Caring for God’s Acre team
- work with the local primary school on activities which stimulate and educate the children in local cultural history and the wildlife.
- run a community heritage celebration day in the churchyard
- create information leaflets, displays, photographic and written records and web pages available to all
- provide training in skills needed to undertake the specific jobs
- undertake wildlife species surveys to produce a comprehensive picture of the habitat and its value for wildlife.
Special Events and Activities planned - 3 school sessions (October 2006, March and June 2007) about the wildlife of the churchyard (mammals, reptiles, birds, flowers) and its history
- A Community Day on 9 June 2007 – to learn more about the churchyard, its wildlife and heritage, and what used to happen in churchyards in past centuries with activities for all the family
Wildlife
We already know we have: - Reptiles – slow worms are breeding in the churchyard; grass snakes have only been seen just outside the churchyard.
- Fungus – a rare fungus Sowerbyella radiculata was found by Sheila Spence, the county fungus recorder, on 20th November 2004. A number of common fungi are also here.
- Flowers and grasses – over 60 species have so far been recorded in the churchyard
- Surveys to be made during the project on:
- Mammals, bats, amphibians and reptiles, birds and lichens. Surveys already carried out include fungi, plants, grasses, trees and archaeology
- Log Book – the church maintains a diary of wildlife sightings to which everyone is invited to contribute
Churchyard management principles
Grass Cutting
With the new equipment obtained as part of the Project, we aim to maintain the churchyard much more effectively.
The churchyard is divided up into several sections: - Section A for the spring flowers - cut up to late March and then again regularly from mid June onwards (this ensures the flowers seed properly).
- Section B for summer flowers - cut till April and then from mid July onwards.
- Section C ( a 2 yard wide strip around the edge of the churchyard) will be left uncut till September to provide a haven for mammals like voles and field mice, for slow-worms and grass snakes, and for all the invertebrates, including the butterflies to ensure their caterpillars have time to pupate and produce the next generation.
- Section D (round main graves area) will be cut regularly throughout the season.
- Section E (with its wild daffodils) will not be cut early in the year, but regularly from July onwards
Compost bins
3 wooden compost bins have been made for the churchyard for grass cuttings and other vegetative waste - anyone wanting the compost (free) please contact the wardens.
Features in the churchyard - A new cherry tree will be planted to replace the existing one in its last few years of life. There is an historic connection of the cherry tree and the name Little Dewchurch: the earliest reference to the village (about 1150AD) was the old Welsh name ‘llan dewi ros cerion’: llan – church, dewi – David, ros (rhos) cerion - heath or moorland of cherries.
- The bottom half of a 14th century Preaching Cross (Grade II). The plint is excellent for wild flowers!
- Anthony Hall lived in the village and is buried in the churchyard. He announced in 1931 at a big meeting at the Bull Ring, Birmingham, that he was the rightful King of England and that George V was a foreign imposter! He created his own currency and caused the royal family and the government some concerns. But at the end of his life he was working in the ordnance factory in Rotherwas, Hereford. He died in 1947 without any male descendants. See the newspaper articles in The Times on 28 July 2006, and the Daily Telegraph on 28 July 2006.
www.timesonline.co.uk/
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/
- Stream under churchyard – unusually there is a stream under the churchyard, with bridges to be seen under the wall the near the north east gate, and by the car park.
- The Millennium Window – created in 2000 by local stained glass artist Nicky Hopwood, it represents the country and wildlife nature of Little Dewchurch and the sense of renewal as the new century dawned.
- The church is 1870, with a 14th Century tower. The tower has a recently fully restored set of six bells which are rung regularly
Workparty days - Workparties are held regularly and we encourage anyone in the community to come and join us for a sociable morning’s work
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