The changing face of lowland farming and wildlife, Part 1 1845- 1945.

Abstract

Many naturalists and conservationists look back upon the landscape of the Victorian Age as one where the ways of the farmers allowed a rich variety of habitats and wildlife to flourish. This rosy view of the past, perhaps influenced by the paintings of Constable and others and by the writing of Thomas Hardy, fails to appreciate that over large areas of lowland Britain unprecedented changes were taking place. It was during this period that some of the last remaining areas of unsown land were enclosed and drainage of wetlands moved on apace; indeed, the last great fenland mere, Whittlesey Mere, was drained in 1851.
The high prices paid for cereals in the first half of the century coupled with improved methods of cultivation meant that many previously un-ploughed lands were converted to arable. For much of the century, work was still labour-intensive and many farms would in today's terms be characterised as extensive, low-intensity and mostly self-sufficient. Nevertheless, the types of farm produce waxed and waned with the markets, much as they do today.
This article, the first of a pair, traces some of the changes in farming practices in lowland Britain over the last 150 years and points out their impact on the wildlife of our farmed landscape.