Fell Ponies and the Identity Theme of the LDNP World Heritage Site
/The Lake District National Park (LDNP) in Cumbria, England was named a World Heritage Site in 2017. Fell Ponies have roamed the Lake District and adjacent areas for centuries, so the World Heritage Site designation provides an opportunity to bring attention to our breed.
Ennerdale Water and surrounding fells in the Lake District
In the press coverage at the time of the designation, the World Heritage Site was said to have three themes that “…underpinned the bid for World Heritage Site status, recognising the Lake District National Park as a cultural landscape of international significance. These include world ranking examples of identity - the dramatic farmed landscape; inspiration - art, literature and love of the place. This in turn sparked the birth of conservation - people fought and invested to look after this special corner of England.” (1) I have previously written about the inspiration theme as they relate to Fell Ponies (click here for more information on the Inspiration theme..).
The Identity theme is summarized above as being about ‘the dramatic farmed landscape.’ However, in another part of the same blog post, the theme has a broader definition: “The acknowledged beauty of the Lake District is the result of thousands of years of industry and agricultural development of the spectacular natural landscape of mountains, valleys, lakes and woodland.” (2) The inclusion of the industrial history of the region is especially important for Fell Ponies.
The Nomination Dossier is a set of documents on the LDNP website that made the case for World Heritage Site status. A group of 25 organizations called The Partnership compiled the dossier, including The Partnership Plan, which is the management plan both for the park and the World Heritage Site through 2020. The dossier has four volumes and hundreds of pages. So far, I have only found the Fell Pony mentioned once, in an appendix. By contrast, the Herdwick Sheep breed is mentioned hundreds of times, no doubt because the breed organization was involved in the Partnership.
Nonetheless, the LDNP has told the Fell Pony Society that they are open to working to integrate our breed into the management of the park and its World Heritage Site status. The Identity theme is an important entry point for that integration. Throughout the Partnership Plan the identity theme is referenced via the interplay between the landscape, farming, and industry. For instance, “Farming, past industry and how communities have adapted to live and work in the Lake District have helped to shape this cultural landscape.” (3)
Stanegarth Clapper Bridge with High Street in the distance.
The Fell Pony and its ancestors played multiple roles in farming’s history in the Lake District. As David Anthony Murray summarized in his first report on the Fell Pony, “Recognised since Roman times as a pony type indigenous to Britain, we owe the Fell pony much. It pulled Saxon ploughs, shepherded Norman flocks and helped drove cattle across the Lake District.” (4) Fell Ponies more recently were used in the region as milk cart ponies (click here for more information) and to take farm goods to market. But ponies also grazed the uplands like the sheep and cattle of the region, so they have also contributed directly to the landscape known today, despite being left out of this description: “This landscape is an unrivalled example of a northern European upland agro-pastoral system based on the rearing of cattle and native breeds of sheep, shaped and adapted for over 1,000 years to its spectacular mountain environment. This land use continues today in the face of social, economic and environmental pressures.” (5)
Belted Galloway cattle near Haweswater
Because farming persists to the present, its place in the Lake District is well known. The presence of industry, however, especially mining, isn’t as well recognized. The Appendix summarizes, “Significant mining of metal ores in the Lake District took place from at least as early as 1000 AD and was developed on a truly industrial scale from the Elizabethan period following the establishment of the Mines Royal. Mining continued to develop from the 18th century and reached a peak in the later 19th and early 20th centuries followed by a decline which saw the last mineral mine close in 1990. Slate quarrying also took place on a small scale from the medieval period and developed as a major local industry from the 18th century. Although it too has declined, several slate quarries are still active in the Lake District.” (6) More specifically, “industrial scale mining for ores of iron, copper, lead and for graphite began during the medieval period.” (7)
Of course, prior to the introduction of engines, the local native ponies provided the ‘horsepower’ for the region’s economy, especially before roads were improved and pack horse routes were how goods of the region got to larger markets in other parts of the country. Pack pony loads included not only slate and metal ore but also fleece, fish, and more. (8) It is unlikely that any facet of the Lake District’s economy or history were untouched by the Fell Pony and its ancestors. David Anthony Murray continues, “[The Fell Pony] was, until 1900, Britain’s pack animal. More recently it pulled recreational traps, worked Cumbria’s farms and the Pennine lead mines and hauled coal and milk. Even 50 years ago, it delivered the Lake District’s post.” (9) (While pit mining using ponies may not have occurred in the Lake District proper, ponies reared on the Lake District fells certainly were ‘exported’ to other counties for use below ground (click here for more information).)
The Partnership’s Plan briefly acknowledges pack horse routes and bridges: “Many of the early packhorse routes survive in the English Lake District fells. In many cases they cross rivers and becks on carefully constructed, single span stone bridges known as packhorse bridges, which add greatly to the picturesque qualities of the landscape. These are largely undated but are likely to have been constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries, replacing earlier, medieval structures.” (10)
Walna Scar Packhorse Bridge (with added modern (ugly!) railings) courtesy Louise Thompson
In 2011, Louise Thompson of Lakeland Pack Ponies shared a very succinct summary of the place Fell Ponies and their ancestors occupied in the cultural landscape of the Lake District: “I have attached a photo of a wonderful pack pony bridge on the ancient route over Walna Scar. The route starts in the Lake District village of Coniston passing the old copper mines, continues up the steep pack pony route, crossing this bridge. The route descends down to the beautiful Seathwaite valley on the other side. Ponies would have carried loads of copper and slate over this pass…. Hardnott Pass is an old Roman road, used by pack ponies carrying goods such as wool and grains from the market town of Kendal [through the Lake District] to the little Roman port of Ravenglass. It is also said that the pack ponies were used by smugglers to collect illegal goods brought to the port, and, quietly in the dark of night, they would disappear into the fells carrying their loads.” (11)
If you are interested in a more detailed article about the use of ponies for packing historically, click here.
Looking towards Heltondale
I am sure that more and better examples exist of how the Fell Pony and its ancestors have contributed to the cultural landscape of the Lake District and its Identity theme of the World Heritage Site. And I am hopeful that those examples are integrated into the National Park and the World Heritage Site. Perhaps the international status of our breed could be an asset in that regard. The Partnership’s Plan states, “World Heritage Site status would require further attention to how the Lake District’s values are interpreted and transmitted, particularly by international audiences.” (12) I look forward to seeing the Fell Pony take its rightful place alongside the Herdwick Sheep as an iconic breed of the region.
“Euphoria as Lake District becomes a World Heritage Site,” July 9, 2017, at http://lakesworldheritage.co.uk/blog/2017/july/euphoria-as-lake-district-becomes-a-world-heritage-site/ as accessed 2/28/20.
Same as #1.
“Section 2.0: Outstanding Universal Value, Special Qualities, Risks and Vision,” p. 29, Volume 4: Partnership Plan, Nomination Dossier at https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/caringfor/policies/whs/lake-district-nomination as accessed 2/28/20.
Murray, David Anthony. The Fell pony: grazing characteristics and breed profile – a preliminary assessment, P.O. Box 550, Leicester, England, p. 378
“Section 1.0: Executive Summary,” p. 31, Volume 4: Partnership Plan, Nomination Dossier at https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/caringfor/policies/whs/lake-district-nomination as accessed 2/28/20.
“Appendix 1: Lake District Special Qualities,” p. 274, Volume 4: Partnership Plan, Nomination Dossier at https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/caringfor/policies/whs/lake-district-nomination as accessed 2/28/20.
Same as #6, p. 272-3.
“Early History,” on “About Fell Ponies” page at www.fellponysociety.org.uk as accessed 20 November 2018.
Same as #4.
“Section 2.a. Description of the English Lake District,” p. 107, Volume 4: Partnership Plan, Nomination Dossier at https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/caringfor/policies/whs/lake-district-nomination as accessed 2/28/20.
Email from Louise Thompson to author, 11/1/11.
Same as #3, p. 81.
