Beverley Westwood has been used as farmland since the 11th century and has been managed by the pasture masters since 1836 when the Beverley Pasture Act confirmed for the freemen of Beverley the right to administer the pastures and bye-laws.
Photographer Michele Allen has made a short film called Westwood about the 185-year-old common pasture land.
Filmed over 6 months in 2020, her film is a portrait of the Westwood and the cattle that graze there. The film includes the voice of Zowie Bell, the Westwood’s first-ever female pasture warden, talking about how she manages over 30 different breeds of cattle every year.
Westwood will be screened on a loop in the courtroom of the 700-year-old Grade I listed Beverley Guildhall in Register Square on Friday, 10 September from 10am until 4pm.
Free to drop in, visitors can also speak with Michele from 12pm – 2pm and take a free copy of her photography publication Ruminations, which includes photographs of the Westwood.
This event is part of FIELDS, a six-month public programme of exhibitions, publications and film screenings that examine the lives, stories and experiences of British sheep, cows and farmers past and present across different regions of the UK.
For more details, visit: https://stories.field-wt.co.uk
