Meadows

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On the south banks of the River Dee is an area known as The Meadows, a large area of grass and wetlands bordering the river where cattle grazed openly in the centre of the city until very recently. It is roughly 24 hectares in size and is home to various wildlife.

Contents 1 Origins 2 Bizarre planning proposals 3 Access issues 4 Flora and fauna 5 The cows 6 Friends of The Meadows

[edit] Origins

The Meadows was donated to Chester by the Brown Family (of Brown's of Chester) in 1926 on the condition that they remained permanently open to the people of Chester "As a public park, recreation ground, or lands for cricket, football or other games and recreations in perpetuity".

[edit] Bizarre planning proposals

Despite this condition, Chester City Council has occasionally come up with plans to use The Meadows for other projects.

In 1967, the Chester Society of Architects seriously proposed the creation of an "aqua park" on The Meadows, which would have incorporated collection of cafes, car parks and other 'leisure facilities' as the equally-abortive Olympic scheme of thirty years later.

When Manchester submitted its bid to host the 1996 Olympic Games, it was seriously suggested by Chester City Council that a competition rowing lake, complete with car parking, grandstands, burger bars and the like, should be constructed there. To quote from the official Olympic bid handbook: "The city of Chester on the river Dee, 35 minutes from the Olympic village, offers an excellent stretch of land for the construction of the course. The local government authorities in Chester... have enthusiastically supported the development of plans for the course. In a city nearly 2000 years old, legacies as fine as this are truly appreciated".

The proposals were treated by the local populace with contempt and were formally abandoned when Manchester's bid inevitably failed in favour of Sydney, Australia.

[edit] Access issues

In the winter, the Meadows often become muddy, making it difficult for people to walk on them. Consequently, a new footpath, length 2,000 metres and costing £30,000, was completed in 2006 to improve access, including for wheelchairs and push chairs. The footpath is made from recycled materials that, once weathered, will blend in with the existing grassland. The initiative was instigated by the Friends of The Meadows and funded by WREN and Chester City Council.

[edit] Flora and fauna

Most of The Meadows is a designated SBI (Site of Biological Importance), due to its wetland, neutral grassland and hedgerow habitat. Some relict hedgerows can be found lining ditch banks, and there are substantial lengths of hedgerow on the boundaries. The wetland areas have a good population of Juncus spp., as well as Carex spp. and Deschampsia spp.

The open meadow is used as a feeding habitat by greenfinches, linnets and wood pigeons. Skylarks and reed buntings use the open grasslands here, but are found in low numbers. Birds also use the hedgerows on the Meadows as nesting sites.

Frogs and smooth newts are present in some of the ditches crossing The Meadows.

Eighty metres of hedgerow was planted in 2006 on the boundary of Lower Park Road, on the western side of The Meadows to define site boundaries and add to the existing wildlife habitat.

[edit] The cows

In April 2007, a dog walker was chased by a cow on The Meadows, and forced to jump into the River Dee to escape injury or death. The dog walker was trapped in the river for a couple of hours until a passer-by came to his aid by holding the cows off with a long pole. Immediately following this incident, all six cattle were shot dead by vets in full view of the public, a move that scandalised Cestrians when the news broke in the local media.

[edit] Friends of The Meadows

The Friends of the Meadows holds quarterly committee meetings and circulate a newsletter with updates on events and issues arising at The Meadows. For information, contact the Countryside Team on 01244 402397.