Pope's Meadow
Once part of the grounds of Pope’s Manor, this site was acquired by the Borough Council in 1984 and consists of 13.7 acres of established parkland, including open grassland, ponds and a copse. Its main aim is to provide a diverse wildlife habitat and a scenic landscape feature for visitors to enjoy. Although comparatively small, Pope’s Meadow does provide several types of habitat and, therefore, quite a variety of species.
Pope's Meadow is located off St Mark's Road, Binfield.
The Civic Trust's Green Flag Award Scheme is a national standard for the quality of public parks and green spaces in England and Wales. Sites are judged on eight criteria: 1) A welcoming place 2) Healthy, safe and secure 3) Well maintained and clean 4) Sustainability 5) Conservation and heritage 6) Community involvement 7) Marketing and 8) Management.
Pope's Meadow was the first site in Berkshire to receive the prestigious Green Flag award and has now won seven awards for every year since 2001/02. The site has been praised for its access, facilities, maintenance and nature conservation. Ongoing work at the site, including nature conservation tasks, has improved facilities and greater community involvement will continue to make sure that Pope's Meadow retains this prestigious award.
Other Green Flag Award winning sites in Bracknell Forest are Shepherd Meadows / Sandhurst Memorial Park in Sandhurst and Lily Hill Park in Bracknell.
The large standard trees of the parkland are mostly common or pedunculate oak, although there are also limes and conifers and a mixed hedge of native species has been planted. Throughout the spring and summer the meadow is a dazzling carpet of different plant species. While some of these species are considered ‘weeds’ by many people, they are all essential parts of the ecosystem present. For example stinging nettles, thought by many to be a nuisance, are the food plant for the caterpillars of the small tortoiseshell, peacock, red admiral and painted lady butterflies. In turn, these caterpillars form an important part of the diet of bird species in the area.
Undisturbed and unpolluted ponds are becoming much less common, and as a consequence the varied wildlife which they support is threatened. This means that the existence of small ponds such as the ones at Pope’s Meadow are essential, and a visit during the spring and summer demonstrates why. On the first warm days of spring the pond comes to life as frogs and toads come out of hibernation to mate and spawn. The young tadpoles can be seen developing in the shallows where they become a major food source for the other pond life.
In the summer you might see damselflies and dragonflies flying over the water. A dragonfly is usually larger than a damselfly, but they are most easily told apart when at rest. The damselfly folds its wings neatly behind its body, whereas the dragonfly rests with its wings open. The males of both types tend to be brightly coloured, whereas the females are usually drab. Both dragonflies and damselflies spend up to two thirds of their lives under water as larvae, which makes ponds vital to their survival.
Mainly consisting of holly, oak, hawthorn, and hazel the copse provides good shelter for birds such as chaffinch, blackbird, thrush, robin, dunnock, great tit and blue tit. Wood pigeons, magpies, jays and perhaps a green or great-spotted woodpecker may also be seen, and in the summer migrants such as blackcap, chiff-chaff and willow warbler visit the site.
The copse is an important habitat for shade-loving plants such as wood sorrel and bluebells, and its trees support a large variety of insect and bird-life, which might otherwise be absent. However, the copse is not just a rich habitat for plant and animal life. Decaying wood is host to a wide variety of fungi, the fruiting bodies of which can be seen in the autumn. Fungi play an important part in ecosystems as they break down rotting wood and allow the nutrients to be taken back into the soil.
The poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744) was Binfield’s most famous resident. Well-known for such works as ‘Pastorals’, ‘Essay on Criticism’ and ‘The Rape of the Lock’, Pope sang in the local choir and is also renowned locally for his poems on Windsor Forest and the River Lodden. Much of his work was written while living in the village.
There are many references to Pope in Binfield. Pope’s Wood to the south of the village is the copse where the poet was said to have gained most of his inspiration. Traditionally, the words ‘Here Pope Sung’ have been carved on one of the trees. It is likely that nothing remains of the Pope’s house, except perhaps one room, which according to tradition was Pope’s study. The present manor is Georgian and the grounds are open to the public twice a year.
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