^{Map of Volka Meadow Common kindly shared by Landscape historian David Lovelace, he has added the colours in Photoshop. I love the field names.}

I’ve decided to investigate Volka Meadow Common myself as when I first heard about it from local historian Pete Blench, it inspired me to include the Commons as part of my research project into rural place.

I had joined Pete’s ‘Alfred Watkins’ walk’ pre-pandemic, in which he guided us across fields to visit the place where Watkins first had his visionary idea of ‘leylines’. Pete left us to make up our own minds about Watkins’s ideas, but I was intrigued to hear about Volka Meadow Common and Volka Bridge on the way to Stoke Prior. Pete explained that Volka means ‘folk’ and I was hooked! Volka Meadow was enclosed in January 1858 so I will have to either seek the landowner’s permission to walk upon it or stick to the public footpath running close by.

I have already asked a wonderful HARC Volunteer about the meadow and he has pointed me in the dirction of some archive material to follow up. Just have to order my Archive Card!

I have now held three introductory sessions for this project as a few people couldn’t make the first one on 9th September which itself was very well attended. Of the thirty-three expressions of interest that I received after advertising the project, twenty two people have attended an introduction and I await to see how many are able to sign up for it.

It is fair to say there was a lot of excitment about embarking on this project. Rhys Griffith – Senior Archivist displayed some of the Archives holdings of maps of commons including a Tithe map, enclosure records and Gwatkins’s surveys of parish field names. These historic documents really brought our commons quest to life and there are beautiful images within them. Plenty to inspire!

I live in Herefordshire and am investigating our relationship with rural place, studying at Manchester Metropolitan University. I am seeking participants for this year long research project that will end with a Walking the Commons exhibition at Herefordshire Archive and Records Centre (HARC) in 2024.

In this project I hope that together we can investigate the common lands of Herefordshire, where they are publicly accessible, through a walking practice and utilising the resources at HARC if wished.

This project involves visiting and walking on one piece of common land of your choice over the four seasons beginning Autumn 2023 and documenting notes /sketches, perhaps gathering materials on your visits. Visits may be limited to four – one for each season – or may be as many times as you wish. A notebook will be provided to document thoughts and notes.

I will offer a drop in session once a month at HARC to discuss any findings and meet with other community investigators taking part in the project. You are invited to make a final creative response in a medium of your choice for the exhibition or you could submit your notebook or extracts from it if you wish.

I will need to tell you more about the project so you can decide if you would like to take part. There is no obligation to do so. If you do decide to, I will ask you to sign a consent form, but you can withdraw at any time. To join the project, I have arranged a date in September 2023 when we can first meet at HARC.

My name is Jackie Morris. If you would like to hear more about Walking the Commons, please contact me on jacqueline.morris@stu.mmu.ac.uk or 07766688193