News / Animals
Sheep ensure Downs remains in public hands
These heroic sheep have helped ensure the Downs remains open for the public to enjoy.
A law which protects the area for public recreation was evoked when the animals were released to graze on the land.
The rules are part of a special Act of Parliament in 1861. The act gives unrestricted access for the public – so long as ‘commoners’ graze their sheep on the land every five years.
is needed now More than ever
Around 150 pupils and staff from St John’s Primary School in Worrall Road and nearby Badminton School helped carry out the commoners’ rights near the White Tree roundabout on Monday, just under five years since sheep last grazed the grass.
The University of Bristol, one of 19 commoners (surviving representatives of a group of landowners who once grazed thousands of sheep on the Downs), arranged for six sheep to be brought up from Long Ashton.
Alan Stealey, the University’s head of external estates, said: “With Bristol being European Green Capital 2015 and the Shaun in the City trail about to get underway in the city, there’s never been a more significant time to exercise our grazing rights.
“Bristol’s proud of its green spaces and it’s thanks to historic acts such as these that so many have been retained, preserving the rich biodiversity that makes up our city.”
The 1861 act protected the whole area as a place of public recreation and prohibited horse drawn wagons, bath chair hire, fortune tellers and stone throwing.
However, an absolute right to keep all 122 acres as common land is only afforded by commoners grazing sheep every five years.
