Plans for Bathampton Meadows

2026

Completed tree planting and new additions

March, completed tree planting

In March, the planting of 10,000 trees was completed across Bathampton Meadows.

Nearly 600 members of the community around Bath and beyond planted the trees over the autumn and winter, creating a new wood pasture and 1.5km of hedgerow, improving biodiversity and access for visitors.

Twenty-five native species were chosen for the wood pasture and hedgerows, ranging from oak, lime and field maple, through to wild cherry, wayfaring tree and spindle. Funding of the trees was provided by Forest of Avon, who worked closely with the team to ensure the woodland would have the best chance of long-term success and benefit.

The wood pasture, which sits to the west of Mill Lane, is open to pedestrians to explore, opening up a new area of the Meadows that had been previously unused by the public. The 1.5km of hedgerow is located around the wood pasture and across the site, providing vital nourishment and shelter for insects, birds and small mammals.

Forty-two planting events were coordinated and delivered to plant the 10,000 trees, with a total of 592 participants. 31% were from youth groups, school and university students, 35% were local community groups and individuals, 23% were National Trust staff and volunteers (Bathampton Meadows, Bath Skyline, Prior Park, Lacock, Ebworth and Avebury) and the remaining 11% were businesses on volunteering days. 

In total, tree preparation and planting lasted nearly six months.

April, new permissive path and benches

At the beginning of April, a new circular permissive path was created on the east of the Meadows, going around the sheep fields.

At the end of April, new benches were installed across the site. Each include a quote that is special to the land and/or local community.

2025

Visible changes including a new woodland pasture

Hedgerows

Hedgerows provide a vital habitat for animals and insects, and are an important tool in improving biodiversity. On Bathampton Meadows, 750m of hedgerow has been restored so far. We are looking to plant a further kilometre.

New tiles artwork

New tiles are designed with Batheaston Primary School and artist Marian Hill (Buzz & Scuttle) to adorn the walkway by the Batheaston footbridge, representing local fauna and flora.

Footbridge

A new footbridge is erected to the west of the Meadows, improving accessibility. With thanks to Bathscape and The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their help with funding.

New wood pasture

Bathampton Meadows is the National Trust’s first green corridor, and the new woodland pasture is the last piece of land that completes the corridor from Grosvenor to Batheaston’s footbridges.

We have the exciting opportunity to improve the biodiversity on the Meadows, and creating this new woodland habitat will boost wildlife such as birds and insects whilst also allowing the public to wander through the woodland area.

25 species of native trees, including many blossoming and fruiting varieties, planted with local schools, community groups and the general public.

Communtiy tree planting open day

An open community planting day was held at the end of October with over 140 participants from the local community coming to help, a number of whom stayed to plant all day. Planting was expected to be focused on the new wood pasture, but due to the turnout and enthusiasm of the community, planting then turned to the surrounding hedgerow. An amazing 1,400 trees were planted in just one day.

2024

Signs and drop-ins

Signage audit

During February and March 2024 a signage audit was conducted to assess what appropriate signs are needed going forward.

Drop-in sessions

In July 2024, the local community were able to come and chat to the team via a series of drop-in sessions.

Heritage skills workshops

In September and November 2024, we held our first heritage skills workshops, open to the public. Taught by our rangers, both workshops were full, with members of the community keen to learn the art of scything and hedgelaying. We knew we would have to hold more of these in the future.

2023

Hedgerow reinstatement and community engagement

Volunteers onboard and new hedgerows

Over the winter months a team of volunteers were recruited to support Bathampton Meadows. Volunteer rangers help support the countryside work, repairing fences, planting trees and general maintenance, whilst the walking and talking volunteers support with data gathering, litter picking, community engagement and activities.

Traditional hedgelaying techniques were used to start building improved hedges across the Meadows. Over 2,000 trees were planted as part of the hedgerow reinstatement, and grass and wildflower seed added to the edges to improve the habitat for nature.

Understanding the history

In April 2023, records showed Bathampton Meadows as part of Ralph Allen's estate in the 18th century. Work began on a number of archaeology surveys and studies to get a clearer picture of some historical artifacts at the site.

Community engagement process

Over the summer of 2023 we carried out community engagement with the aim of shaping and informing a spatial plan for Bathampton Meadows. The consultation explored and tested the following areas with local residents:

• Creating habitats to boost the local wildlife
• Improving infrastructure to make the Meadows more inclusive and accessible 
• Developing ways people can enjoy more of the Meadows
• Involving local communities in the process of shaping the future for the Meadows

In total we spoke to over 500 people and used a mix of methods to look at existing usage and previous information surrounding Bathampton Meadows. This included:

• Reviewing and analysing previous studies and consultation feedback
• An interactive semi-structured online survey
• Walking Focus Groups with a wide spectrum of users
• Interactive Drop-In Events held in various locations across the Meadows
• Creative workshops with young people
• Observational studies to record how people are currently using the Meadows  

Key findings from the community engagement

From the feedback it was clear that people highly value the Meadows as a community asset and in particular its semi-rural character. There were some key conclusions that could be drawn from the research.

Strong support for restoring and enhancing habitats for nature

All the research activities undertaken indicated there was deep and widespread support for preserving and enhancing the landscape for wildlife. Indeed there was strong support for; restoring wildflower meadows, restoring hedgerows, restoring wetland habitats such as ponds and reed beds and introducing wet or river woodland.

Support for creating opportunities to enjoy nature

There was widespread support for creating opportunities for people to get closer to nature and enjoy it.

Paths for all

For the main routes through the Meadows, it was clear that smooth sealed surfaces were imperative for wheelchair users.

Circular walks

One specific area of interest was around developing circular walking routes so that people could more fully explore different parts of the Meadows.

Wayfinding and interpretation

People would like suitable wayfinding and interpretation information at key arrival spaces across the Meadows and people were keen to understand about the processes and practices being undertaken to enrich wildlife habitats.

Seating

There was support for provision of seating to make the Meadows more accessible and to enjoy the views such as the river and Solsbury Hill.

Space for exercising dogs

Walking dogs is a popular activity on Bathampton Meadows and dog owners valued the Meadows as somewhere they could take their dogs.

We reviewed all the feedback and common themes from the research, ensuring that our plans for the meadows reflect the needs of the local community wherever possible.

2022

The first 'green corridor' for the National Trust

Land acquired

Bathampton Meadows was announced in January 2022 as the first 'green corridor' for the National Trust.

Land surveys

During the first year of owning Bathampton Meadows, a number of surveys were carried out to help understand the land and record a measure from which changes can be tracked. Surveys included habitat, soil, bat and fungi.

A new team

In November 2022, a dedicated Community Ranger and Project Manager were recruited to develop future plans for the meadows and manage the land day-to-day.