The Stunning Wildflowers Of Cranham Common
A beautiful English idyll
Urbanization and modern farming practices have had such a huge impact on our environment. Many beautiful wildflowers and the species of insects that depend on them are simply not adapted to changes we have made to our land. I feel so blessed to have lived for a while on the edge of a natural haven — Cranham Common in Gloucestershire, England.
Cranham is tucked away amongst a rolling landscape just south of Cheltenham and close to the better-known villages of Painswick (whose churchyard boasts 99 yew trees) and Slad (where the author of Cider with Rosie, Laurie Lee, lived). The village itself is a combination of old country cottages — including Midwinter Cottage where Gustav Holst wrote “In The Bleak Midwinter” — a small school, a beautiful church (where the singer Lily Allen was married) and there are a few more modern homes.
The pub is of course the social centre of the village, with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding at lunchtime, Morris Men dancing to celebrate spring, and sometimes a meet of a local Hunt. An English idyll in other words.
The geographic centre of the village is the Common. This piece of land is designated both an Area of Outstanding Beauty and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Natural, ‘unimproved’ common grazing land such as this formed a significant part of the English landscape in years gone by but is now very much a rarity.
This piece of land had been most recently been owned by one family for 150 years until 2008 when it came up for sale. Can you imagine what could have become of it? Fortunately the villagers managed to raise the funds required to buy the land and the common is now held in trust and managed by a combination of English Nature, the National Trust, and a couple of smaller partners.
The common is grazed by a small herd of cattle — currently Belted Galloways but previously Black Angus — and the grazing of these cattle maintains the common in a natural way.
As you walk across the common, which is on a gentle hill, you’ll encounter several beautiful wildflower species. Here are my favourites:
Around the common are pristine woodlands and many enjoyable walks — often with a country pub on the route for a spot of lunch or a refreshment.
If you’re visiting Gloucestershire this spring, why not stop by Cranham — but let’s keep it our little secret.
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