Pasture's past
By Linda Dolata. As published on The Archer, July 2012
Many of you already know about the Long Lane Pasture nature reserve, but for anyone who has never seen it now is as good a time as any. Situated behind the houses opposite the fire station on Long Lane is a relict hay meadow from the days when fodder was grown for London's horses.
It is at its very best right now, and only needs a smidgeon of sunshine to bring out all the native butterflies, bees, hover flies, grasshoppers and beetles that breed there.
Flower spotters
As it is the pasture's centenary year, archive research has been done. It substantiated links with Octavia Hill, of National Trust fame, and discovered a list of wild flowers collected by children from the local primary school on Squires Lane back in 1920. It makes lovely reading. In a few short weeks, 57 species were gathered as they flowered, from local lanes, fields, hedges, banks and ditches which the children passed on their walk to school.
The pupils who did this were named. Maybe someone reading this is a descendant of Kitty Saunders, Fred Barker, Doris Wright, Doreen Mellor, George Stanford, Eva Robinson, Harry Pike, D.Embleton, Stanley Sharpe, Mabel Sag, Nellie Selves, Lily Beadle, Sybil Cook, Irene Spear, or Gladys Cul?
We checked the plant species and do still have most of them, with beautiful old country names like honesty, creeping cinquefoil, knapweed, primroses, cowslips, Queen Anne's Lace, mouse-eared chickweed, goosegrass, tormentil, honeysuckle, speedwell, woody nightshade, jack-by-the-hedge, heartsease, goatsbeard and ladies smock. A hundred years ago the children would probably have known many of the names as a matter of course. The only plant that we have lost from their 1920 list is the early orchid, so we are doing a good job.
Centenary competition
Please take the time to come and see this fragment of our area as it would have appeared in their time. Even better, bring your camera or your paint box and enter our centenary Photo and Art Competition, which will be judged in October, and the best entries displayed at artsdepot, North Finchley. Entries must be of the Pasture in 2012, but could be drawings, paintings or photos of anything seen there.
Long Lane Pasture is always open at weekends from 10am until 5pm, and entries can be handed in on Saturdays between 10am and noon. Full details from www.longlanepasture.org/centenary. We hope to see you there.