Chiltern Commons Project (2011-2015)
Between 2011-2015, the Chilterns Conservation Board ran a Heritage Lottery funded project, the Chilterns Commons Project.
The project encouraged people to make the most of commons for walking, playing and enjoying the outdoors. It inspired and enabled people to get involved with caring for commons and studying them – if we don’t there’s the danger that we’ll lose these precious landscapes for good.
Commons have been at the heart of our communities since Medieval times and these days they’re great places to explore and enjoy. There are 170 commons in the Chilterns National Landscape, ranging from strips of grass verge to rolling hectares of wildflower-rich grassland and woodland. Much of their rich history has been lost to public record, but fragments can be found in the most unlikely places.
Commons play a valuable role in the natural and cultural heritage of the Chilterns. They’re incredibly important wildlife habitats, brilliant natural playgrounds and contain centuries of local history within them. Below you can explore just some of what the Chilterns Commons Project discovered or read the Commons Project Final Report for more detail.
Highlights from the Chilterns Commons Project
Publication of new historical research
Our Common Heritage is a collection of six essays about the social history of Chiltern commons, written by Commons Project volunteers who have been researching the history of local commons and the people who used them.
Our Common Heritage Conference
New research into the history of Chiltern commons was presented at this one-day conference on Saturday 24 January 2015. You can download speakers’ presentations below:
- Prof Angus Winchester introduced the day, exploring the rich history of commons, how they were used and how they have come to be as they are today.
- Bruce Smith gave an insight to drovers, droving and how landscape clues help you recognise routes.
- Dr Anne-Marie Ford presented her research on traveller families who ued the Chiltern commons.
- Norman Groves presented his research on the impact the Inns of Court Officers’ Training Corps had on Berkhamsted Common and the surrounding area in WWI.
- Graham Bathe concluded the day by explaining what makes the Chiltern commons special in a national and European context.
Our Common History Seminar
This one-day seminar about the importance of commons to the historic Chilterns landscape took place on Saturday 28 January 2012. You can download the speakers’ presentations below:
- Dr Jill Eyers introduced the geology underpinning the commons in the Chilterns and outlined the archaeological evidence which shows who has lived here since the Neanderthals and what they did.
- Alison Doggett explained how our ancestors’ use of fields, woods and commons has shaped the landscape we see today.
- Graham Bathe discussed the impact commons have had on our social history – the different types of right, the contribution commons have made to rural life and the rural economy, and how this is reflected in our folklore and art.
- Prof Ian Beckett talked about the amateur military tradition in Bucks and mentioned the importance of commons which were used as training areas for centuries. He gave useful advice on how to research local military records.
- Dave Greenwood explained how Archaeology in Marlow researched and mapped the WWI training trenches on Marlow Common.
- Rachel Sanderson introduced the Chilterns Commons Project, outlined its proposed history projects local to commons and Chilterns-wide and described the funding available to support these research opportunities so that you can get involved.
Archaeology
The Commons Project funded two detailed archaeological surveys, at Five Knolls on Dunstable Downs and at Moorend Common. The survey at Five Knolls preceeded the restoration of erosion scars across the Scheduled Monument.
Berkhamsted WWI troop training trenches
On 28 September 1914 troops from the Inns of Court Officers’ Training Corps, nick-named The Devil’s Own, arrived in Berkhamsted to train before heading for the battlefields of northern France.
Military camp with 350+ tents and wooden huts
During the course of WWI, 12,000 troops passed through the training camp at Berkhamsted. They lived in a tented camp near the station, paraded on what is now called Kitchener’s Field and trained on Berkhamsted and Northchurch commons and in the surrounding countryside.
Troops from the UK and abroad spent several months in Berkhamsted in intensive training, building skills and character, before being commissioned into other regiments.
Over 13 km (or nearly 8 miles) of training trenches were dug on the commons of which just 500 m remain. A team of volunteers from the Commons Project and Chiltern Society mapped the location of the best preserved trenches. Their work parties can be seen in this short film by Colin Drake.
The impact on the small town of about 7,500 was huge and there was strong respect and appreciation between local residents and the Corps. For many of the young men, Berkhamsted was their last “home” before the horrors of the Western Front. By 1918, nearly half of all trainees had become casualities of the war with 2,200 killed.
Visit Berkhamsted Common to see the trenches yourself – they are to the south of the bridleway between New Road and Brick Kiln Cottage (grid reference SP 998102). There are signs to them from the car park by the war memorial at the top of New Road.
More than 50 local volunteers were involved with the mapping project, plus trainees from RAF Halton and members of the current Inns of Court TA Squadron. We are very grateful to Norman Groves who led and coordinated the project with his core team of Peter Johnston, Richard and Brian Shepherd. Thanks are also given to Alex Thompson and Ken Wallis of Berkhamsted and District Archaeology Society for their enthusiasm and valuable help.
There is now an interpretation board by the path near the trenches on Berkhamsted Common. The board outlines the history of troop involvement in the Berkhamsted area during the First World War and includes a sketch showing the location of the trenches in the area.
Finger posts direct walkers from the public rights of way that lead onto the common from New Road, Berkhamsted, including the informal car park by the Inns of Court war memorial.
Local Spaces : Open Minds
New research into the future management of commons and other areas of green open space was presented and discussed at this conference in April 2015. We questioned whether it was now time to change our attitude to lowland commons, what their relevance was in the 21st century and asked how they could best be utilised.
The research papers contain some inspirational ideas on options for new uses include as sites for outdoor education for all ages, as natural playgrounds and venues for a wide range of recreational activities, as important habitat for our wildlife in a time of changing climate, all of which can happen while creating (non-statutory) green-belt within urban areas and around rural settlements.
Bricks, Bodgers and Broomsticks - a celebration of common life
‘What a great day out. Utterly, utterly charming.’ On Sunday 9 June 2013, 1400 people got the message that commons are fun.
Visitors helped to build a makeshift home (hovel) by bashing chalk for the floor and enthusiastically daubing the wattle walls. They crafted willow hurdles, lace, candles, bodged broomstick handles and made bread over an open fire. They heard about how commons were used for military training, and the growth of the non-conformist religions. When wrong-doers were caught the bailiff admonished them! They auctioned off their family as milkmaids, farm labourers and farriers at the hiring fair, watched sheepdog demonstrations, listened to the wandering minstrel and storytellers and pelted their family with wet sponges in the stocks.
This short film about the history of commons was made by volunteers from Reading Film and Video Makers club using footage filmed during the day.
West Wycombe Hill - Past, Present and Future
Children from West Wycombe Combined School made this film which was shot on location with the help of local professional film makers Turtle Canyon Media and Alistair Will of Outdoor Culture. The 8 year olds dressed up in costume to re-enact dramatic events from the past. They also interviewed local experts and put forward their suggestions for potential future uses of the common.
“Making this documentary has been really special and great fun” said class teacher Sally Farrell. “I’m sure it’s something Class 4 will never forget. Our Oscar’s ceremony is the culmination of a lot of hard work and a great way to end the school year.”
The film was funded by the Chilterns Commons Project.
Commons Project 2011-15 achievements
Project reports
Annual reports from the Commons project.
Commons Project 2014 Annual Report
Commons Project 2013 Annual Report
Commons Project 2012 Annual Report