The task A New Year and we’ve moved into the winter season for exploring our commons. I’ve tasked participants with visiting their chosen common at least once for each season, and documenting their thoughts and feelings about walking there, in some way. If participants wish to, in September they can contribute to an exhibition at HARC of their response, in any medium of their choice. Or they may show their journal or extracts from it. In the year long project there are 22 participants in total investigating places that are ‘land shared in common’ between them.
About Herefordshoire land held in commons In Herefordshire alone I calculate there are some 196 commons remaining, 42 village greens, 1 country park (Queenswood Country Park & Arboretum), 1 Doorstep Green Polygon (Hunderton Community Open Space), and 4 Millennium greens (Kingsland, Eadrisley, Rosemary Rigby and Leominster Riverside). From the Council’s original list of 245 commons in Herefordshire of which it says 198 registered commons remain, 32 are now listed as cancelled, 10 void, 6 deleted and 1 removed. A few of these have been incorporated into Village Greens or other existing commons. In total, the registered commons cover 2023 hectares. Of these 198 commons the council website says:
- 12 are registered to Herefordshire County Council (comprising 301 hectares)
- 60 registered as Section 45 commons (168 hectares)
- 13 registered as Part Section 45 / part owned commons( 101 hectares)
- 31 registered under 1899 Commons Act (332 hectares)
- 113 privately owned commons
Of the Village Greens , 7 are owned by Herefordshire County Council.
Queenswood ‘Country Park & Aboretum’ at Dinmore and Bodenham Lake “are retained in public ownership through Herefordshire Council and are leased to the partnership via a 99 year leasehold ‘community asset transfer’.”
I’ve asked participants to drop in to discussion meetings held once a month at HARC and from this meeting onwards we are just discussing findings and sharing outcomes, rather than me inviting speakers along. This is to maximise the time that participants have to share their work. It works well this month when the group divides more evenly into morning and afternoon sessions.
The morning meeting at HARC
Eleven project researchers attend. Unfortunately my phone camera (well me) did something random and stretched a lot of my photos, hence I’m not showing all work here as I wasn’t able to ‘repair’ the photos satisfactorily. Apologies for missing a lot of work out, but we will see more in the future!
Andy brought in this book to share with the group and kindly lent it out to another participant. He is reading around his chosen common and the commons more generally with a view to crystalise his findings into a painting.
The afternoon meeting
A smaller group of five plus myself, but thought provoking converstaions abound. The afternoon group also decide to set up a Whats App group for the project to share commons related information and Jo kindly facilitates this. I will email her invite out to all Walking the Commons participants, for those that wish to join it. I will continue posting this project’s research information on this website.
I love Jo’s description of the Whats App group:
A group for us to share Walking the Commons satisfactions and stumbling blocks, discoveries and queries, fascinations and 'fed-up-with's.
I think this perfectly summarises the general thoughts expressed across both meetings today about initially approaching and tackling the task I have set. My reassurance is that there are no rights or wrongs, that you should follow the ideas or leads that excite you (with personal safety in mind though) and to just ‘go for it’ creatively. If anyone fancies writing a blog or a photo blog for this website, please do send it to me.
I look forward to our next meetings in February.
Walking the Commons 