COMMON LANDS (2025)











Common Lands is a commission for Arts&Heritage in partnership with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust (HWT). The commission responds to an ambitious ecological programme through which HWT plan to restore Bartonsham Meadows, which is regularly inundated by the River Wye, to be species-rich floodplain meadows. The Meadows lie within the meander of the River Wye, to the south east of the city of Hereford.
The commission responds to the history of Bartonsham Meadows and is inspired by the multi-decade vision for the regeneration of the site. Through the project I worked with community groups to collectively learn from and respond to the meadows’ rich history, changing ecology, and the process of regeneration.
The project aimed to involve existing groups with a relationship with the meadows, alongside connecting new groups with what’s happening on this accessible nature reserve in the centre of Hereford. We worked with local residents and groups including Rose Tinted Rags, Close House Youth Club, Hereford Sixth Form College and Hereford College of Arts to delve into how the land is changing and the process of restoring it for wildlife. This collaborative approach invited multiple communities to engage with the Meadows, and mirrored the ecological process of re-wilding: trusting in the process, making space for diversity, and allowing for the unexpected.
Workshops built on some of the processes involved in managing and monitoring the first phase of transformation on the meadows - such as reducing some plant species and soil nutrition, whilst making space for others, digging dip wells to monitor water levels and soil health, and paying close attention to who is making their home on the meadows. We worked experimentally with materials from the land - from printing with soil and plant inks, to a nettle cake competition, observation of patterns and textures to create fabric designs, and making dyes and biomaterials from plants on the site. A Beltane feast featured a menu inspired by the meadows - using ingredients, flavours and textures to create a sensory connection with the landscape.
The commission culminated with the Midsummer Meadows Gathering, a community gathering on Bartonsham Meadows featuring a meeting place marked by five 3-metre flags created with fabric panels dyed with plant dyes from the land; screen-printed seating created through the community workshops; and an array of hands-on activities and info stalls to connect with and celebrate the meadows. We ended the event with a collective reading of quotes gathered through the project and an offering of memories and wishes for the river - documenting the ongoing and multi-layered relationship between human and more-than-human communities here.
Photo credits: Rebecca Farkas & Rebecca Beinart
Thanks to: Steph Allen, Jenny Mottershead, David Hutton, Friends of Bartonsham Meadows, Rose Tinted Rags, Close House Youth Centre, Hereford College of Arts, Hereford Sixth Form College, Baronsham History Group, The Floodplain Meadows Partnership, Jess Bugler, Sophie Ferrier, Dan Pryde-Jarman, Sarah King, Gina’s Cantina, Nadim Chaudry, Chloe Willis & everyone involved in Common Lands!
The Common Lands commission is an Arts&Heritage partnership with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust - responding to HWT’s restoration of Bartonsham Meadows to healthy, wildlife-rich floodplain meadows. The art project is being kindly supported by Hereford College of Arts and funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Elmley Foundation and Hereford City Council. HWT’s restoration of Bartonsham Meadows is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.