The Wildflower Ark
Working to help conserve plant diversity in the Lower Tees Valley and increase public awareness of local plants and their habitats.
- About Us
- The Wildflower Ark Nursery
- Plant Database
- History
- Ancient Hedgerows of Stockton
- Heritage Hedgerows of Redcar and Cleveland
- Wildflower Walks in the Lower Tees Valley
- Lowland Meadows in Eastern Cleveland
- Contact
- Links
Heritage Hedgerows of Redcar and Cleveland
The ‘Heritage Hedgerows of Redcar and Cleveland’ project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, was carried out through 2006 and 2007 by the Wildflower Ark and a team of volunteers.
Hedgerows form an important aspect of the heritage value of the local landscape, being a direct living connection with past land-use and cultural history, boundaries and highways. Most hedgerows were created during the process of enclosure (i.e. when boundaries were put in to define the edge of people’s land or to keep stock in pastures). Large areas of the land in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland were enclosed by private agreement during the period of early enclosure (i.e. before 1720). In fact, a lot of land was actually enclosed even earlier during medieval times! In contrast, the land around the Tees estuary and the moorland was only enclosed during the period of parliamentary enclosure (i.e. after 1720).
Hedgerows are also important for biodiversity. They are a significant wildlife habitat over large stretches of lowland UK providing essential refuge for many woodland and farmland plants and animals. The more species-rich a hedgerow is, the greater its biodiversity value.
A copy of the final report of the project can be downloaded by clicking here (11Mb).
Two leaflets containing information on old hedgerows and their characteristic features, four heritage hedgerows to visit across Redcar and Cleveland, and a 2-mile circular self-guided walk around the hedgerows of Moorsholm are available.
To download a copy of the first leaflet click here (200 Kb).
To download a copy of the second leaflet click here (900 Kb).
Please note these downloadable files are in Protable Document Format (PDF) and you will need to have the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed in order to view and print it. This software is available for free from the Adobe web site.
The project was made possible through a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with additional support from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Tees Valley Wildlife Trust and Tees Archaeology.