Rattlesden River Nature Reserve
Within only 15 minutes walk of the museum entrance, you can be in the peace and quiet of the open countryside. Stroll along the nature trail and discover how man has worked the landscape to support farming and industry. Meadowland like this was once typical of the region. It was mainly used for a combination of animal grazing and cutting hay. Notice too the old ridges of ploughed land (called Stitch and Furrow) in the Spring that show where hops once grew. See if you can spot the old osier beds that provided the materials for local basket makers.
The river bank is a haven for nature. Look for the pink flowers of the Southern Marsh orchid in June, the Speckled Wood butterflies so fond of dappled light, Pipistrelle bats, birds such as the Spotted Flycatcher, water voles and occasional visiting otter. This area has remained unchanged for hundreds of years and supports a rich and diverse range of plants and animals.
Within the meadowland, the Alder Carr (an area of wet woodland dominated by Alder trees) supports its own unique plants. If you crush a Ramsons flower for example, you'll understand why ploughmen traditionally ate it for their lunch; its smell is stronger than garlic.
Although liable to regular flooding the wet meadows are extremely fertile and plants, grasses and weeds grow very quickly each year. To manage the landscape we graze sheep and cattle, some of our own and some from neighbouring farms. This means we don’t have to bring heavy machines on site or use chemicals to keep the land under control.