The Living Churchyard
The Churchyard Setting
The Churchyard & Nature
Visitors to Newport Cathedral entering the churchyard through the lych-gate may hardly notice the neatly mown grass as they walk towards the tower entrance. Should they continue around the north side of the Cathedral, leave the tarmac paths and edge past the hall to the east end, they will discover a wilder area where Victorian graves lie amongst brambles and saplings that were taking over before recent clearance work.
A survey by the Gwent Wildlife Trust shows that this area, in fact, has a wide variety of plants including common mouse-ear, enchanter’s nightshade and oxeye daisy and rather worryingly, devil’s-bit scabious, to name just a few. Alternatively, for an easier route, they may approach the area along a path that starts near the vehicle entrance from Clifton Road.
The Cathedral is set in a grove of trees on the site of an ancient Celtic clas or Christian enclosure dating back perhaps 1500 years. A survey of the churchyard in 2016 by Gareth Morgan and Lowri Watkins of the Gwent Wildlife Trust identified 16 species of grass and sedge, and 56 species of wild flowers, saplings and shrubs of which 6 are Ancient Woodland indicators. A survey the of the mature trees found at the time that there were then 39 trees including 14 different species. All these species of plants and trees are found in just over an acre of ground in the centre of the city.
The Cathedral decided to set aside an area of the churchyard to the north and east of the building that would be managed to encourage the wild flowers and other plants to thrive and provide a valuable habitat to be enjoyed by visitors and providing a food source for insects, birds and other wildlife. We hope the area may also provide a resource for local schools and organisations that are interested in nature and we invite them to discuss this with us. Activities might include nature trails, identifying trees and plants, siting and maintaining nest boxes and feeders, studying visiting birds and maybe forest school activities or just sitting quietly to contemplate nature in God’s Acre.
A Tranquil Haven
During a visit in the summer, Roger James, President of the Gwent Wildlife Trust identified several Ringlet butterflies that he was surprised to find in the centre of a city suggesting the site may provide a haven for these and other species blown off course. In order for the wildflowers to grow and seed the Living Churchyard area will only receive one big cut a year.
