Beta
In the 18th and 19th Century, the process of Enclosure became increasingly prevalent. Enclosure refers to the conversion of common land into privately owned property through fencing and hedging, resulting in Commons reducing dramatically in size and numbers.
Horsell Common was previously part of Windsor Great Park, an area of land that the royal family used as hunting ground. The land was then passed privately to the Earl of Onslow. In 1805, the Common was safeguarded from Enclosure by an Act of Parliament, by the Earl himself.
Sadly, this was not the case for all Commons.
Today - in a world increasingly under pressure from busyness, stress, and environmental strain, common land is a precious shared place for the benefit of all.
Amelia Finn
In the 18th and 19th Century, the process of Enclosure became increasingly prevalent. Enclosure refers to the conversion of common land into privately owned property through fencing and hedging, resulting in Commons reducing dramatically in size and numbers.
Horsell Common was previously part of Windsor Great Park, an area of land that the royal family used as hunting ground. The land was then passed privately to the Earl of Onslow. In 1805, the Common was safeguarded from Enclosure by an Act of Parliament, by the Earl himself.
Sadly, this was not the case for all Commons.
Today - in a world increasingly under pressure from busyness, stress, and environmental strain, common land is a precious shared place for the benefit of all.
You might like...
Re-wilding Scotland
In 2010, as a student completing her MA in Broadcast Journalism, George Tomlinson made a film about rewilding in Scotland. She interviewed some of the early pioneers of more radical conservation in Scotland such as Alan Watson Featherstone, Roy Dennis and the late Dick Balharry, as well as some of those working the land who worry about changing land use and bringing back missing species
From Loch Ness to South Bruny Island
I think I'm going to blame my parents. I grew up on the shore of Loch Ness in Scotland and they own a garden nursery, so I was permeated with plant names since day one, says specialist bird and nature guide Cat Davidson, of her early connection to nature.
Belted Galloway Cattle: Protectors of the Heather
These cattle graze in the grassland of the Common, eating fauna that would otherwise threaten the heather.
A fledgling Dartford Warbler spotted
On 3 May 2025, a fledgling Dartford Warbler was spotted learning how to fly amongst the heather on Horsell Common.
Newsletter
Sign up to keep in touch with articles, updates, events or news from Kuno, your platform for nature