Speaker Dr Kathy Stearne

The origins of water meadows are lost in medieval times, yet the remnants can be seen throughout the Wessex valleys. Surface water irrigation expanded in Wessex and throughout England from the sixteenth century and was a sustainable intensive integrated agricultural system until the twentieth century. This talk looks at the origins of water meadows in England, their management and importance to agriculture through the centuries, and why they are still important in terms of landscape, history and ecology today. Dr Kathy Stearne gained a Doctorate in Agricultural History and Ecological Management, from Imperial College London in 2004. She presently runs a consultancy for landowners and farmers, advising on conservation (in the widest sense of the word), ecology, and hydrology.