This project grows from Arts&Heritage’s ongoing commissioning partnership with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust at Bartonsham Meadows, Hereford – land currently being regenerated using traditional approaches to land management.

Two artworks will be created. The first uses soil from Bartonsham Meadows, excavated as part of a new biodiversity “scrape” designed to create rich habitats for wetland wildlife such as wading birds, dragonflies, amphibians, and specialist plants. The second, an accompanying digital augmented reality artwork, will be co-created with local communities in partnership with Hereford College of Arts.

Together, the works explore the legend of King Herla, the ancient king of the Britons, whose band were said to have disappeared into a fairy realm via the River Wye, only to reappear hundreds of years later in a changed world. They are still said to be seen on occasion as apparitions leading the Wild Hunt.

The physical sculpture will be embedded with wildflower seeds and designed to gradually melt back into the landscape, echoing the moment when Herla’s band returned to the River Wye during the first year of the reign of King Henry II (1154). Legend holds that if their feet touched the ground, they would turn to soil and dissolve into the earth. As flooding and rainfall break down the soil sculpture, the seeds will be released, allowing the artwork not only to merge with the environment but actively support the meadow’s regenerative process through the dispersal of mud and seeds.

The second artwork will be a virtual reality experience created in collaboration with local communities and residents. A digital horde will be seen to re-emerge from the river, developed in partnership with Hereford College of Arts and accompanied by music and storytelling. This immersive work will leave a lasting digital legacy that can continue to be experienced on the meadows. While the physical sculpture dissolves in tune with the seasonal and ecological rhythms of the Herefordshire floodplain, the virtual work will continue to retell the story of its existence.

To read the full story of King Herla visit:
https://www.eatsleepliveherefordshire.co.uk/the-tale-of-king-herla/

Community workshop

A free community workshop will take place on the afternoon of Monday 26 January 2026.
Participants are invited to join artist Jamie Fitzpatrick for a storytelling walk on Bartonsham Meadow exploring the legend of King Herla, before returning to CUP Ceramics to create Herla’s band of horsemen from clay, which will appear in the digital Augmented Reality artwork.

Timing: 12pm at Cup ceramics, finishing at 2pm

Please wear weather appropriate attire as some of the event will be outdoors and on Bartonsham Meadows.

Age restrictions: 5+

Meeting location: Unit 10 Foley Trading Estate, Eign Road, Hereford, HR1 2SF, UK

https://www.cupceramics.com/

Jamie Fitzpatrick’s King Herla is delivered as part of Arts&Heritage’s Common Lands programme and in partnership with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, responding to their restoration of Bartonsham Meadows into a healthy, wildlife-rich floodplain. The project is also delivered in collaboration with Hereford College of Arts and CUP Ceramics. The artwork is kindly funded by Herefordshire Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Henry Moore Foundation. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust’s restoration of Bartonsham Meadows is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Many thanks to Hereforshire Wildlife Trust for granting us use of the image