A grand Day Out

The village of  Laxton in Nottingham is unique in England, because it retains a lot of the pre-enclosure, medieval open field system.  Our day out there was completely fascinating, and the best thing I’ve done for ages. It didn't start that well, because I had offered to drive a car load and was so pleased with myself for being early, that I drove off without one of my passengers. I don't know when I might have realised - perhaps not until we got to Laxton, who knows - but luckily another passenger noticed someone missing before we'd got too far. All a bit shaming. 

One of the fields - you can see the strips

Looking across to another of the open fields.

The farms are all along the main street of the village, all with the buildings that they once needed to operate. Each has its own threshing barn, which of course isn’t required nowadays. The system may be medieval, but the farmers are able to adopt modern methods, which was a relief to us visitors, because having seen a threshing flail, none of us could imagine the strength and stamina required to thresh a crop of wheat in that way.

A typical range of farm buildings

A  threshing barn. The door height is to allow the wind to blow through.

Each farmer has strips of land in each of the three enormous unenclosed fields. The idea is that good and poor land is shared out evenly, but of course it means that it isn’t really an economic way of farming nowadays, even though the strips have been amalgamated, and are a lot wider than they were in the seventeenth century.

 At the end of the seventeenth century the landlord had the most amazing and fascinating map of the village and its lands drawn. It isn't simply a map - there are all sorts of delightful tiny scenes depicted - haymaking, hawking, horses romping around in the field - it's really more like an aerial view of the estate, with all its activities. It’s now in the Bodleian, but there is a copy in the church.  The church in itself was more than worth a visit, and there is an excellent motte and bailey, and super views.

Because the open fields have survived, so has the manorial court, with its system of stewards and bailiffs, field foremen and jurors, who all cooperate in maintaining the way of life – because it is much more than a farming system; the way the land is used means that there are all sorts of cultural practices which go along with the with it. I think it should be a World Heritage Site, as it certainly falls into UNESCO’s category of a “Cultural Landscape”;  but I think UNESCO aren’t really interested  in European / developed nation sites now. They are trying to register sites in much less developed and visited nations, which is probably the right thing to do. However,  Laxton could certainly do with support in maintaining the land use system and cultural practices which date from the Domesday  Book.

We were all hugely impressed by our guide’s knowledge and commitment to the system – and although we  didn’t meet others of the farmers, it’s clear that they all must feel similarly, because it’s hardly a convenient system nowadays, and it isn’t possible to make a living from farming alone – everyone must have other strings to their bow. So apart from farming, our guide, Stuart, has horses at livery and does some blacksmithing.  

There are grants to be had from Natural England, as the fallow field has been used to encourage ground nesting birds, and the “sykes” (pronounced “sicks”) have never ever been ploughed, so attract grants as ancient meadowland.

The green lane between the church and the motte and bailey.

 But the rules are changing, to bring them into line with the whole E.C., and the Laxton farmers will lose a lot of income. Why the rules can’t be bent, considering what a special case this is, goodness only knows. You’d hardly think giving them some special consideration would destroy the whole European plan – after all, as I said, it’s unique in England. Maybe in Europe.

This is the link to Stuart’s site.

http://www.laxtonnotts.org.uk/

Just to make the day out perfect, Stuart’s mum and sister provided copious amounts of delicious food. I don’t wish to mention any names, but some people had all three puddings, and then in the afternoon, scones and both sorts of cake.  I have to give the rhubarb, orange and ginger crumble a special mention as the best I have ever tasted.  I can’t urge you too strongly to visit – it really is a grand day out.