downland history

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Downland history

For centuries the downs around Brighton & Hove produced sheep and corn. The corn was grown in the valleys on the more fertile soils and the sheep grazed on the hills where the soils were thinner and less fertile.

The arable fields were farmed in rotation with one field being left fallow each year. The sheep were brought down from the hills each evening by the shepherd and folded (penned) on the fallow field. The sheep dung manured the field (there were no artificial fertilisers derived from oil then) allowing it to be cropped again next year. This meant that the fertility of the hill soils was kept low by the continual transfer of sheep dung to the arable fields. However this meant that coarser species like nettles and brambles could not dominate and the downs became rich in a diversity of wildflowers and insects.

Over the last century agriculture has become industrialised and with the advent of artificial fertilisers no longer dependent on sheep grazing. This has seen 97% of the flower rich downland grassland disappear in the last century. The remaining 3% is under threat from spreading scrub.

In order to reverse this decline the council has reintroduced grazing on several urban fringe sites and is working to expand  grazing in and around the city.