History Of The Meadow

There are records for Trull Meadow going back well over a hundred years. These show that in 1846, it was owned by a Charles Wellman, born in Pitminster who went on to become a magistrate in Bath. It was purchased by Queen’s College in 1974 for sports facilities from the Drew family, butchers, and farmers from Bishops Hull, who we suspect used it for fattening cattle. The historic oak tree is believed to date back to Elizabethan times and may even have sheltered the Parliamentary army when they marched on Taunton in 1665 to take the town. A second oak tree, grown from an acorn from the first, was planted in 1952 in memory of King George Vl. Sadly, this was blown down by the gales in November 2020. Most of it was cut up and taken by the village for firewood, but part of the main trunk was left by the top fence. In addition, there is a photo dating from 1910 showing yet another old oak tree that had been blown down. Were there originally more in the Meadow?
 
In 2019, Queen’s College put Trull Meadow on the market and there was interest from several developers. The Parish Council called a public meeting in October that year to see if there was support for purchasing the Meadow to stop potential development. An overwhelming majority were in favour and a Working Group, set up by the Parish Council, recommended a Trust be set up to purchase and maintain the Meadow. Trull Meadow Trust was inaugurated as a charity in 2021 and raised enough money through donations and loans, including a £10,000 grant from the District Council, to give them confidence to agree the purchase from Queen’s for £150,000, to be paid in ten instalments of £15,000. The last payment was made in April 2023 and the Meadow is now fully owned by the Trust.
 
The object of the Trust is to provide and maintain Trull Meadow for the benefit of the everyone living in Trull and the surrounding area for recreation or other leisure time activities. The Trustees are required to maintain the meadow as it is, letting it for grass keep and grazing, in return for which the grass is cut, but also to encourage wildlife and plant wildflowers where appropriate. It has been encouraging to see just how much use is made of the Meadow by those exercising dogs and walkers from the village and elsewhere. It truly is an historic and living link to our past, benefitting both residents in the village and those in the surrounding area who value what it has to offer.