Coronation Meadow at Kingcombe

Coronation Meadow at Kingcombe

Dorset Wildlife Trust

As we prepare to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III, it seems appropriate to reflect on the King's own initiative in 2013 to restore wildflower meadows in honour of the 60th anniversary of the Queen's Coronation and the part that Kingcombe Meadows played.

The wildflower restoration project aimed to identify flower-rich meadows in the UK and to harvest wildflower seeds from them to restore 60 new meadows to secure the UK's wildflower heritage for the next 60 years. Lady's Mead Meadow at Kingcombe Meadows, (now part of the Kingcombe National Nature Reserve) was chosen to showcase Dorset's meadows and to donate its seed to other wildflower meadow restoration projects.

One of a set of meadows at Kingcombe, Lady's Mead was given its name when it was split from an adjoining field known as 'Lord’s Mead'. Kingcombe Meadows is still managed as a working farm using traditional methods, grazed by cows and sheep and without artificial fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides. Lady's Mead is particularly impressive in spring and early summer for the blaze of colour and sustains many common wild flowers including devil's-bit scabious and knapweed. Butterflies include varieties of skipper and fritillary and birds abound, with visiting summer warblers, as well as dippers and grey wagtails. It is particularly impressive in spring and early summer for the blaze of colour.

Common carder bumblebee on devils bit scabious

Dorset Wildlife Trust

Devil's-bit scabious
Best time to see: June - Sept
A pink pin-cushion-like flower which our ancestors believed cured scabies (hence 'scabious"). It has short, stubby roots which according to legend, were bitten off by the Devil to prevent its healing powers.

Ragged robin

Dorset Wildlife Trust

Ragged robin
Best time to see: May - June
With its air of charming dishevelment, this rakish wildflower brightens up damp and poorly drained meadows. It blooms when the cuckoo starts to call.

Betony

Dorset Wildlife Trust

Betony
Best time to see: June - Sept.
Long-living and slow-growing, this vivid magenta wildflower was used in the past as to protect against sorcery and according to the Anglo Saxon Herbal, 'frightful nocturnal goblins'.

Ten years ago when we were celebrating that 60th Anniversary, Dorset Wildlife Trust had a fabulous open day with guided tours of Lady's Mead with our conservation experts. The Chair at the time, Nigel Webb said, "We are delighted that one of our most spectacular meadows has been chosen as a flagship meadow for Dorset. This is a fantastic project to remind us all of the importance of meadows in the UK, and help us to create a legacy for future generations to come."

Our hope is that the seed from our Coronation Meadow at Kingcombe is flourishing in wildflower meadows across the country. We have continued with the initiative and just last year, nearby Mount Pleasant at Mapperton Estate was planted with seed from Lady's Mead - and so the Coronation Meadows story goes on.

King Charles III visiting Kingcombe Meadows in 2017

Katharine Davies / King Charles III visiting Kingcombe Meadows in 2017