White Colne Meadows

Weather vane
Weather vane at the meadows. Photograph kindly supplied by John Watt. See more photographs.

Way back in the 1920’s, the Hunt family gifted six acres of arable land to the parish of White Colne. Situated close to the then busy railway line, it became allotment gardens used by over 100 village families. Over the years allotment gardening fell out of fashion and by 1973, in an effort to keep the land tidy and in use, the Parish Council leased the majority of the site to a local farmer. A small portion was retained for allotments.
Thirty years later, the present Parish Council proposed to use this land for a new Doorstep Green; an area beneficial for wildlife with good disability access, picnic areas, woodland, wildflower meadows, an off line pond plus a space for informal recreation. Today, with a grant from the Countryside Agency of £48,000 and over £10,000 of matched funding from Coda Wildlife Ltd, Awards for All and the Essex Environment Trust, work is underway with a completion date set for the end of 2006. The River Colne Countryside Project has also greatly contributed to the project.

This is an exciting time for the ancient village of White Colne with a population of just 450 - a huge project which creates a much needed open space for both residents and visitors to the Colne Valley.

Once a month groups of volunteers meet at the site to plant trees and hedges, erect birds boxes or insect habitats and undertake general maintenance duties. Our volunteer days are open to all; please join us for a delightful sociable morning in the countryside. The main access to the site, now named White Colne Meadows, is off  Bures Road just past the village hall.

Contact: Jane Taylor 01787 222477