I was joined today by CHRISTINE TOWNLEY, from Billericay’s Mill Meadows Society.
The Mill Meadows Society was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant last year to install new footpaths, bridges and informative trails around the reserve, research and interpret the history, put on an art exhibition and produce a new website.
In case you don’t know, Mill Meadows is a 90-acre Local Nature Reserve and one of the finest ancient meadow systems in Essex.
Centuries of grazing have created the ideal conditions for a wonderful diversity of wild flowers, fungi, insects and invertebrates, many of which are rare. It contains an area of 16.63 acres (6.73 ha) declared as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its unimproved neutral grassland.
It’s located about half a mile from Billericay railway station, through the High Street and Chapel Street.
Sadly there’s no car parking on site so visitors by car need to use one of the town centre car parks and then walk the short distance to the junction of Sun Street and Chapel Street where a gate leads directly into its north west corner.
And next Sunday 9th September, the Society is holding a special Fayre featuring music from Folk Down Left and Heads Up jazz bands, The Mayflower Morris Men and Hawthorn Heavy Horse display.
Characters from the past will be present, together with a history display and a free guided tree walk.
Face painting, children’s archery and ‘build a windmill’ are some of the activities on offer for children, while adults will enjoy sampling the new offering from Billericay Brewery – Mill Meadows Ale.
Refreshments and stalls offering local produce make for an all-round great day out.
As I mentioned in the second paragraph, the society now has a new website – http://www.millmeadows.org.uk/ from which you can get a lot more information.
You can listen to what Christine had to say about Mill Meadows and the forthcoming Fayre on Sunday, here: –
Margaret Mills returned in the second hour of the show with news of a prison break from Chelmsford Prison, but as it occurred in February 1847, my guess is that any rewards that might have been offered for assisting in the re-capture will now be null and void.
Listen again here to what Margaret told me today: –
See you again next week,
Scott
