Wild Ken Hill is a
rewilding and
regenerative agriculture project located in
Norfolk, England, at the edge of
The Wash.
History
The name Ken Hill probably derives from a chieftain or landowner with the Anglo-Saxon name Cena. The site has been inhabited from ancient times, with hoards including
gold torcs, ingot rings, coins, bracelets and scrap metal from the last two centuries BC being found by archaeologists at Ken Hill.
The farm has been owned by the Buscall family since the 1870s.
The farm
Wild Ken Hill is a lowland farm with some
grassland,
meadow,
heathland and shrub. In the middle of the farm,
arable farming and intensive
grazing have been replaced with low density herbivores (
Red Poll cattle,
Tamworth pig
The Tamworth, also known as Sandy Back and Tam, is a breed of domestic pig originating in its namesake Tamworth, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. It is among the oldest of pig breeds, but as with many older breeds of livestock, it is not well sui ...
s,
Exmoor ponies
The Exmoor pony is one of the mountain and moorland pony breeds native to the British Isles. Some still roam as semi-feral livestock on Exmoor, a large area of moorland in Devon and Somerset in southwest England. The Exmoor has been given "P ...
). Woodland thinning encourages wood
pasture.
European beavers have been reintroduced within an enclosure.
The farm also manages
freshwater marsh
A freshwater marsh is a non-tidal, non-forested marsh wetland that contains fresh water, and is continuously or frequently flooded. Freshwater marshes primarily consist of sedges, grasses, and emergent plants. Freshwater marshes are usually found ...
,
river valleys and woodland in a traditional manner in the west of the farm. The eastern part of the farm is used for
regenerative agriculture, where "we aim to repair
soil health to
sequester carbon
Carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool. It plays a crucial role in limiting climate change by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There are two main types of carbon sequestration: biologic ( ...
and boost
biodiversity, whilst also delivering good, sustainable
yields with minimal use of chemical inputs."
Media appearances
Wild Ken Hill was used for the filming of the BBC series
''Springwatch, Autumnwatch'' and ''Winterwatch'' in 2021–22.
References
External links
*{{Official site, wildkenhill.co.uk
Land Use Model
Organic farming in the United Kingdom
Tourist attractions in Norfolk
Archaeological sites in Norfolk
Companies based in Norfolk
Animal reintroduction
Rewilding in the United Kingdom
Environmentalism in England