The small triangle of land in the south east corner of Thrupp Lake, the largest of the Radley Lakes, is being cultivated as a wild flower meadow by The Earth Trust and has been called St David’s Meadow. I’m not sure why.
St David lived in Wales in the early days of Christianity. He set up churches and monasteries. His best known miracle (according to Wikipedia) was when he was preaching and the land on which he stood rose up to form a small hill.
It is a minor miracle that Thrupp Lake survived the plans to fill it with ash from Didcot A Power Station. The lakes are still here in 2014 as a wetland habitat – now managed by The Earth Trust, and Didcot A has been closed down.
The birds and fishes now have a good chance to increase and multiply in the lake, and the wild flowers should flourish in St David’s Meadow.
I’m one of the Thrupp Lake conservation volunteers and the only reason it’s called St. David’s Meadow is that it was first cleared and managed as a wild flower meadow on St. David’s Day a couple of years ago. It would be nice to think it is the site of an ancient church built by a Welsh emigrant community but sadly this is not the case.
Beautiful pictures and a very clear reminder that it really is worth fighting to save places we value. Hats off once again to Marjorie, Jo, Roger and all the other Save Radley Lakes campaigners who refused to give up. Is there any sort of notice there commemorating the fact that the site was saved by community action?
Nice photo with clouds reflected in the lake. Also well done to the save Radley Lake people!
The lovely photo of the lake and the bright blue sky reminds me that it’s about a year since Didcot A closed. Since that time there have been very many such bright blue days. I’m sure this is no coincidence – in previous years when the sun was out the skies were almost always white rather than seaside blue!.