Whitby Abbey, Helmsley Castle and Rievaulx Abbey to mark King's Coronation with natural legacy

The charity will create a natural legacy at its historic sites – establishing flower-rich grasslands right across England, restoring those that have been lost, and enhancing those that already exist.

Whitby Abbey, Helmsley Castle and Rievaulx Abbey will all be part of the historic scheme.

Since the 1930s and the advent of post-war modern farming practices, the UK has lost 97% of its meadows.

Prior to this, much of England’s grassland – from meadows, road verges and lawns - would have been home to a much more diverse flora than we have today.

While the English Heritage estate is relatively unusual in not having been subject to changing agricultural policy, the grassland surrounding its historic monuments has become ‘municipalised’ over the past century; diminishing the botanical diversity enjoyed by earlier generations.

There is an abundance of sites where – with the right management – meadows (both big and small) can be created and flourish.

The creation and enhancement of wildflower-rich grasslands across England will not only benefit nature, but healthy grasslands are proven to tackle pollution and permanently lock away atmospheric carbon below ground.

Kate Mavor, English Heritage’s Chief Executive, said: “The King’s coronation is a significant moment in history and we wanted to mark it in a meaningful way, in a way that combines two of His Majesty’s passions – nature and heritage.

"We’re creating more natural spaces at the heart of our historic properties, ensuring that wildflowers and wildlife can flourish there once again, and helping our visitors to step back into history and experience something with which the sites’ historic occupants would have been familiar.

“In a decade’s time, our coronation pledge will be an inspiring legacy of established, restored and new meadows at 100 of our historic sites right across England."

English Heritage is partnering with Plantlife – Europe's largest charity dedicated to saving wild plants and fungi – on this initiative.

Plantlife will support English Heritage by providing resources and expertise, skills development training and knowledge exchange opportunities as the project progresses.