Exhibition Highlight: SWLA Massingham Heath Project

Landowner Oliver Birkbeck inherited the estate less than ten years ago, and set to work restoring former heathland and establishing species rich meadows on adjacent marginal land as part of his vision to help create a nature corridor on the farm. Starting with an initial 500 acres but now more than double that acreage, his initiative has seen amazing results in just eight years, with a remarkable number of plants returning from the dormant seedbank just waiting to germinate.

SWLA President Harriet Mead says of the project:

I first visited Massingham Heath on a damp November day in 2022 and despite the fact that it was turning to winter, the masses of spent seed heads were evidence of the wonders that spring and summer would bring. A habitat rich in native plants will provide food and cover for a myriad of wildlife, so it was clear that this place would be full of inspiration for SWLA artists. Tim [Baldwin, SWLA Friend and Project Committee Member] introduced me to landowner Olly Birkbeck and the idea of inviting our member artists to spend time here to celebrate the heath and be inspired by the creatures and plants that make it their home, soon developed into a more ambitious project to follow the changing landscape through a full year. 

The artists will use their own unique approaches to document the heath and capture some of the key moments of the year. The continuity of multiple visits to a relatively small project area will bring into focus the importance of these spaces within the productive agricultural land and I hope inspire other landowners to follow Olly’s lead. The project will culminate in a book, and there will be local exhibitions, talks and workshops during and after the project.