The
Frith comprises 10.7 ha of rough pasture on the north bank of the River
Little Ouse, source of which is at the south-east corner of the field.
It forms the first critical link in the chain of sites between Redgrave
and Lopham Fen at the head of the Waveney valley and the fenland remnants
of the Little Ouse valley. The sources of the two rivers are separated
only by the low sandy ridge that carries the B1113 between South Lopham
and Redgrave.
Until the end of the 1940s, the predominantly sandy soils of the Frith
supported acid grassland and heathland. Local people remember its huge
anthills, gorse and heather, and breeding stone curlews. Then, in ca 1950,
most of the field was bulldozed and ploughed. Arable crops fared badly
on the sandy soils and, after only five years under cultivation, it was
progressively reseeded to provide pasture for sheep. Heavy applications
of pig slurry during the 1990's not only prevented recovery of its former
flora but also encouraged proliferation of stinging nettles.
The
Little Ouse Headwaters project took on a ten-year lease of the Frith in
2002. The most conspicuous remnant of its formerly rich wildlife was its
mature hedges, with many fine oak trees, about half of which had been
pollarded. Much of the pasture was dominated by stinging nettles although
small pockets of typical acid grassland species, such as harebells and
sheep sorrel, remained around the field margins and formed a potential
source for recolonisation.
In spring 2003 we were successful in securing major funding for restoring
the wildlife and landscape value of both the Frith and Blo'Norton Lows
and creating public access. The Heritage Lottery Fund contributed nearly
£50,000 towards the restoration project, which is also funded by
DEFRA, through the Countryside Stewardship scheme, and by our own volunteers
who provide much of the labour for restoration management tasks.
We started by clearing the Frith of a large amount of agricultural rubbish, including old fencing, sheds and trailers. Our Heritage Lottery funding enabled us to install new sheep fencing, gates and a water trough so that we could reinstate sheep grazing. This, together with regular topping of the nettles, has already transformed the appearance of the field and is starting to encourage a greater diversity of wildflowers in the sward.WEB.jpg)
Expert tree surgeons have re-pollarded some of the ancient pollarded oak trees in the hedgerows. Our volunteers have planted over 400m of new hedge and, with the help of local school children, have also planted new oak and pine trees and clumps of gorse in the open field. The word 'Frith' is Old English for pasture with scattered trees, and we aim to maintain this ancient characteristic of the field. An enduring feature of the Frith is the remains of a pine circle, probably planted by the Victorians as a commemorative circle. We have 'gapped-up' the circle and hope that it will be feature of the field for many years to come. 
Old arial photographs show clearly the location of a round field pond that was infilled in the 1960s. The pond was re-excavated in 200x - clearly in the right place because the mud at the bottom was still smelly! Within weeks of the pond filling, its original flora, including a water crowfoot species, regenerated from buried seed. In winter green sandpipers and snipe feed on the muddy margins. An oak bench, made by local craftsman Pip Whittles, now provides a welcome stop from which visitors can enjoy the view.
Purple Hairsreak: This tiny, fast flying, butterfly with electric purple wing markings can be seen around the oak trees in the field boundaries during July and August.
Giant puffballs: in late summer these spectacular fungi are common on the dry, sandy fields around the fens. When fully grown they can be mistaken for sheep!
Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensis was so-called because its flowers appeared with the arrival of the first cuckoos of spring. It is also known as Lady's-smocks or Milkmaids, and used to be a familiar and attractive sight, flowering in drifts of pinky white in wet meadows and fens. Now, rarely seen in such abundance, it grows in the damp, south eastern corner of the Frith.
Pollarded oaks: These ancient trees, traditionally managed by rotational cutting of the branches above grazing height, dominate the hedgerows. The twisted and knotted wood in the coppice 'bole' is full of holes occupied by nesting birds and wild honey bees.
Little owl: This is one of the species to benefit from the holes in the pollarded oak trees. Introduced to the UK during the 19th Century, this small, plump owl spread rapidly over much of lowland England. Unlike many introduced species, Little owls do not appear to have had damaging effects on native species and have become accepted as a familiar and attractive British bird. Over the last thirty years they have declined in many lowland areas, partly as a result of loss of nesting sites in hedgerow trees and old farm buildings.
*Please note that dogs must be kept under very close control to protect ground nesting birds and grazing stock
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