The unique Town Moor – so many things to so many people
How many UK locations have a 1,000-acre Town Moor with grazing cattle on the edge of their city centres? TONY HENDERSON reports on the conclusion of a study into the unique value of Newcastle Town Moor – and its future
FOR centuries the Town Moor has provided the green backdrop as the history of Newcastle has unfolded and Tynesiders have gone about their daily lives.
But because it has been an everpresent feature, perhaps it has not been fully realised how special it is to have the large, open expanse of the Town Moor on the edge of the city centre – and especially with grazing cattle. It’s a rare mix.
Now a three-year research project is about to conclude, with the Town Moor a major component of a study into urban commons, their history and value, and what the future may hold.
Newcastle University has partnered with Exeter, Sheffield and
Portsmouth universities in the Wastes and Strays project, focusing on urban commons – open public land surrounded by built up areas.
The study has examined the Town Moor, Mousehold Heath in Norwich, Durdham Down in Bristol and Brighton’s Valley Gardens.
Now a public exhibition which will showcase the project’s research will be held on May 10 from 11am-4pm in the Wylam Brewery building in Exhibition Park in Newcastle. The event will present the history of the Town Moor and will also explore themes of locality and identity through the testimony of a wide range of people who use the area today.
Newcastle University professor of law Chris Rodgers, who is the project lead, said: “Urban commons are unique green, open spaces vital for wellbeing, culture and biodiversity.
“By exploring how these areas have been used in the past, how they are used today and how they could be used and – just as importantly, protected – in the future, this project aims to bring about a greater sense of community involvement, and help develop imaginative ways to preserve them for future generations.
“I think the Town Moor is fantastic. It is an enormous benefit to residents to have such a large area of open space for recreational use.
“All the medical research shows that access to green open space for recreational use is of immense physical and mental benefit, and we are very privileged in Newcastle to have a large area of open space in the Town Moor.
“We are very lucky to have the Town Moor as a major area of recreational green space near the centre of the city, and especially because it is protected by an Act of Parliament that restricts future development and guarantees its continued availability for public recreational use.
“Many other major urban areas are not as fortunate and lack large accessible areas of public open space with legal protection against
development. The pandemic has focused attention on the need to make more green space available in urban areas. Our research has highlighted the importance of these places to local people for all sorts of reasons – including health and wellbeing.
“It also emphasised a need to ensure their enduring protection and use as a community cultural and ecological resource for the future.”
Traditionally, commons were areas of fallow land for uses by commoners such as gathering fuel or food for livestock. The Town Moor has been used by the Freemen of Newcastle since at least the 1300s for cattle grazing.
“There is obviously less emphasis on food and foraging these days, but the feedback from our focus groups showed that there is still a strong belief in the rights of citizens to use these spaces for recreation, health and wellbeing,” said Prof Rodgers.
“There is a strong sense of identity and of community ownership attached to these iconic places.
The Town Moor is important to people’s identity and it is entrenched in the identity of the city.
“People feel committed to it. They are very proud of the Town Moor and want it to be protected for the future.
“The Town Moor is unique because it has had cattle grazing for 800 years or more. People feel very strongly that that it is a key attribute to the city and describe it as the green lungs of Newcastle.”
An attempt in the 18th century to fence off part of the Moor led to the passing of the 1774 Town Moor Act,
which recognised the ownership of the moor by the council but also the cattle grazing rights of the Freemen.
It meant that the Town Moor was protected from enclosure and the Act was updated in 1998.
In addition to public access to open green space recreation and wellbeing, the moor has other values such as protecting the city centre from flooding through its drainage system and underground tanks.
It can also be used for one-off events. It was the venue for horse racing – hence Grandstand Road.
The moor has seen huge political gatherings such as the mass rallies by the Chartist movement in the mid-19th century in the fight for the vote.
In the 19th century the moor was the setting for foot races against the clock. In 1822, George Wilson walked 90 miles around a half-mile circuit in 24 hours watched by 40,000 people.
In 1828, Peter MacMillan walked 110 miles in 24 hours – a fortnight later his mother Mary managed 92 miles in a day.
More recent events have included the Tyneside Summer Exhibition, Newcastle Mela, and Pride Festival and the annual Hoppings.
One point which emerged from the study was a case for a management strategy for the Town Moor, open to public consultation.
“The Town Moor is an enormous asset and the pandemic has brought into sharp focus the fundamental importance of public access to green spaces and nature, which give massive benefits,” said Prof Rodgers.
Dr Rachel Hammersley, senior lecturer in history at Newcastle University, who has also worked on the project, said: “A sense of historical right to a place, of this is how it is and has been since time immemorial, can be incredibly powerful.
“As the way we live has changed, so this has affected how we use these areas. A better understanding of how they have been used, the traditions connected with them, the various disputes that have taken place and how they have been remembered will help us appreciate and value them in the future.
“Having a sense of history, of how long the Town Moor has been in existence, is linked to a greater appreciation of it and a desire to protect it for the future.
“Different periods of time have left layers of history in Newcastle, and the Town Moor is part of that.”