Bantock Park Landscape Restoration
An insight into works to re-instate hedgerows and meadow at Bantock Park through the Birmingham and Black Country Nature Improvement Area.
In March 2014 the Birmingham & Black Country Nature Improvement Area began work to restore some of features of the historic landscape of Bantock Park in the west of Wolverhampton.
Centred around the home of a former 19th century industrialist this formal park was, up until the 20th century, a typical rural landscape of small fields and native hedgerows. Suburbanisation saw this landscape lost to parkland, playing fields and allotment gardens. The aim of this project is to re-instate the historic hedgerows and convert some of the amenity grassland to species-rich meadow.
Local volunteers helped staff from the Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust plant hedgerows, which have quickly become part of the layout of the park with informal paths running adjacent to them and visitors using them to define areas of the park.
Work to create improve the existing meadow areas through the process of hay-strewing, is due to take place later this month (July). Green hay will be brought from a species-rich meadow and strewn over the existing meadow areas. This will help to diversify the area and create a good habitat for bees, birds and butterflies amongst other species.
Ths project was part of the Birmingham & Black Country objective to increase wildlife habitat in the region.