Picture dated August 2nd shows shire horses harvesting the wildflower meadow at King’s College Cambridge on Monday. The magnificent wildflower meadow at King’s College in Cambridge has been traditionally harvested today (Mon) – with the help of two Shire horses. It looked like a scene from a John Constable painting this morning as the two heavy horses helped cut the new meadow, which recently replaced the college’s famous neatly-manicured lawn. The horses will turn and cart the hay on a traditional wain later in the week, with the bales being used to create more wildflower meadows across the
Picture dated August 2nd shows shire horses harvesting the wildflower meadow at King’s College Cambridge on Monday. The magnificent wildflower meadow at King’s College in Cambridge has been traditionally harvested today (Mon) – with the help of two Shire horses. It looked like a scene from a John Constable painting this morning as the two heavy horses helped cut the new meadow, which recently replaced the college’s famous neatly-manicured lawn. The horses will turn and cart the hay on a traditional wain later in the week, with the bales being used to create more wildflower meadows across the city of Cambridge. This traditional method of harvesting gives the animals within the meadow time to leave the area, whilst the mowing is an important long-term process to keep fertility low and create space for the wildflowers to regenerate. The involvement of the Shire horses is thanks to an initiative involving the head gardeners of Christ’s College and Murray Edwards College. The resultant bales will be offered to other gardeners around the city and within Cambridge University, encouraging others to follow suit and similarly turn their lawns into wildflower meadows. Steven Coghill, head gardener of King’s College, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be bringing in these magnificent heavy horses to harvest the wildflower meadow. “Not only do they have a far lower carbon footprint than using a rotary mower, the sight of these wonderful creatures at work in the College should make for a remarkable, bucolic scene and bring a bit of Constable to Cambridge.” Professor Michael Proctor, Provost of King’s College, added: “The wildflower meadow has inspired us to think more about how we look after and enhance our biodiversity, and has brought to attention just how much has been lost. “We hope its presence in this iconic setting will motivate others to think about sustainability and to consider planting their own meadows elsewhere.” The iconic view of King’s College Chapel with it
Size: 3378px × 5067px
Location: Cambridge
Photo credit: © Geoffrey Robinson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: cambridge, college, cutting, fashioned, harvest, harvesting, horses, kings, meadow, shire, tradition, traditional, university, wildflower
