Look Back at National Meadow Day at Poulton Hall

Enjoying cream teas on the lawn at Poulton Hall

The first Saturday in July has been nominated as National Meadow Day by Plantlife. To celebrate this, Wirral Wildlife was fortunate to be invited to host a cream tea event at Poulton Hall Walled Gardens and Parkland. Poulton Hall lies just above the dip at Dibbinsdale Road, Bebington.

One hundred and forty cream teas were created by Wirral Wildlife volunteers, that is the maximum number of cream teas that can be served from the walled garden hatchery. Caroline Lancelyn Green of Poulton Hall was impressed by the number of visitors attracted to the event and complimented the Wirral Wildlife publicity team.

The day before the event, the Wirral Countryside Volunteers (WCV) gathered materials from New Ferry Butterfly Park to create a mock up hedge in the parkland, for a ‘have a go at hedge laying’ stall. This stall also provided opportunities to try scything and tool sharpening, and make a newspaper pot to plant a seed in. On the day WCV met at New Ferry Village Hall at 7.45am to pick up the gazebos. The volunteers then went for a breakfast break and arrived at Poulton Hall at 10.30am to put up the gazebos and displays, and sort out tables and chairs.

The cream tea making team!

At 10.30am more volunteers arrived to start making the centre piece of the day - the cream teas. This involved slicing the scones, spreading the butter, adding the jam, and finally crowning the arrangement with clotted cream. There were also many sandwiches to be sliced.

At 12 noon stall holders arrived to set up a butterfly craft stall, Wirral Wildlife display, spider stall and costume jewellery stall. At 1pm the entrance team and car parking team arrived. Crowds gathered at the entrance over the ha-ha for the 2pm opening. The gardens were looking good, with the Red Queen’s Garden looking particularly striking in its vivid red colours.

This the second year that Wirral Wildlife group has hosted such an event. As well as the story telling, the Samaritan’s plant sale, and wildlife stalls already mentioned there were musicians, roving archers and a beehive demonstration. Interestingly the 'classic' beehive as represented in pictures and paintings, with an external housing that splays out towards the bottom of each frame was designed by William Broughton Carr in 1890 who once lived in Higher Bebington.

Dr Hilary Ash giving a tour of the wildflower meadow at Poulton Hall

In celebration of National Meadow Day, Dr Hilary Ash gave two tours of the wildflower grassland. The area was used for growing potatoes until 1993. Since then it has been mown annually in late August or early September, with occasional aftermath grazing. The grassland’s fertility has been gradually lost and the grass sward height and density reduced. Grasses have become finer which has allowed space for marsh orchids to get in and for plants such as hairy tare to colonise the grassland. Hay rattle could be rattled, and seeds scattered. There were many meadow brown butterflies on the wing. This area is looking like a classic Cheshire meadow.

Soldier beetles on hogweed flowers in the meadow

The day is a wonderful team effort requiring various roles, including being a witch at the entrance to the walled garden! Thank you to the nineteen volunteers who made this event possible. Thanks also to Roger and Lynn for serving the cream teas, and Scirard and Caroline Lancelyn Green and the hall staff for all their support to make it a successful day. On Sunday afternoon the WCV returned to pick up the gazebos which were left for the Samaritan’s fund-raising day and then returned on Monday to clear away the mock laid hedge. This successful event is well worth the effort, an enjoyable day for all and a great fund raising and awareness day for Wirral Wildlife and New Ferry Butterfly Park. The total amount raised was £1,760, so Wirral Wildlife and the New Ferry Butterfly Park each received £880.

Paul Loughnane