A beautiful farm set in a landscape associated with rare butterflies and the poet Alfred Tennyson has become the National Trust’s largest coastal acquisition in over two decades.
Conservationists are excited about the site on the Isle of Wight because it is a rich habitat for butterflies including the rare Glanville fritillary, but lovers of literature and the beach will also be pleased as securing the site will help preserve access to the stunning Compton Bay and Downs, spots that inspired Tennyson.
The 165-hectare (408-acre) Dunsbury farm is the third major coastal acquisition of the year as the trust celebrates 50 years of its Neptune coastline campaign, launched to safeguard some of the UK’s most iconic seaside landscapes.
Bordering the farm is the rolling chalkland of Compton Downs, home to 33 butterfly species including the Adonis blue, the common blue and chalkhill blue – plus the Glanville fritillary, which does well at Compton Bay because it needs crumbling cliffs to thrive.
The trust will work in partnership with Butterfly Conservation to create the right conditions to safeguard and improve the Glanville fritillary’s habitat.
But other flora and fauna should benefit, including wildflowers such as the internationally rare early gentian and at least seven species of orchid.
Plans will be developed to help farmland birds, once a common sight, return to the land. These include the linnet, Dartford warbler, stonechat, meadow pipit, skylark, goldfinch, bullfinch, hedge sparrow, grey partridge and yellowhammer.
Livestock such as cattle and sheep will be grazed on the land and cereals grown, including wheat. Field edges will be unkempt and crop stubble will be left to provide winter food for birds.
The 15-mile Tennyson Trail, named after the former poet laureate, skirts the northern edge of the farm. Tennyson was wont to stride out over the downland, with its dramatic sea views towards the Needles.
Tony Tutton, the trust’s Isle of Wight general manager, said: “This farm is a crucial piece of the coastal jigsaw for the National Trust on the Isle of Wight. It allows us to plan for the future of a coast which is eroding at a rate of 1.5 metres per year, allowing us to maintain access to this much loved part of the island, and to rewild this landscape, making it healthy and beautiful for the future.
“Our plan is to introduce the sort of farming that will be an exemplar, by being both productive, and good for wildlife. Given time and lots of hard work the farm will also become a vital place where we can combine people’s enjoyment of butterflies and farmland birds with the stunning views along the chalk cliffs towards the Needles.”
