Meadow flowers take root on Demesnes in Barnard Castle

A HAYMEADOW created on a historic part of Barnard Castle is now teeming with rare plantlife.
People walking across the Upper Demesnes can pick up information leaflets about how the fields have been turned into a success story for nature.
Town resident Roger Peat first had the idea of revitalising them in 2009. Seeds from flower-rich meadows at Holwick were spread and slowly traditional Teesdale flowers have spread.
Six out of ten species growing on the Demesnes can be seen flowering this spring – the most striking being the white flowers of Lady’s Smock, also known as Cuckoo Flower.
Hay cut from the fields is sold once a year with the profits being spent on Barnard Castle Town Council’s floral displays in the town.
Mr Peat said: “We put up 60 or 70 leaflets on the Demesnes last year and they all went. Not a single one was found lying about the field, so people were obviously reading them. We’ve put a fresh batch out now.”
People can pick up the leaflets from a box on the edge of the popular footpath.
Included is information on the history of the Demesnes, which became part of the manorial lands of Barnard Castle as a gift from King William II in 1093.
Details on the flowers growing on the site can also be read.
The hay meadow project is run by a group of residents called the Friends of the Demesnes.
“It was looking like a wasteland and I just thought something should be done with it,” said Mr Peat, a member of the group.
Crucially for the area, yellow rattle is now in abundance. The plant helps restrict grass growth, in turn allowing other species to thrive.