Newsletter - National Trust`s South West Blog

News and events for summer 2014
South West
©National Trust Images/Paul Mogford
©National Trust/ Steve Haywood
‘Had a
complete
blast today.
Grinning
from ear to
ear. Thanks
guys.’
What’s in this
edition...
A turning point in history Page 2
©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra
Having a ball Page 3
© Neil Davidson
The past comes to life Page 3
Connect with the outdoors year round and whatever the
weather at the brand-new Lanhydrock cycle hub. The ten
kilometres of purpose-built, off road cycle trails are the
perfect escape for all the family.
with one-way routes, clear signage
and pinch-points to control speed.
For those still feeling a bit wobbly,
close to the upgraded visitor parking
there’s a cycle skills area to practice on
before heading out on the trails.
There’s also a balance-bike track for
really young children who are just
getting used to venturing out on two
wheels; and, at the end of a gentle, yet
exhilarating ride, there’s the new Park
Café and children’s play area.
Complementing the new Lanhydrock
cycling offer are 15km of cycle trails in
©National Trust/ Steve Haywood
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/southwest
Skipper’s Cottage,
North Cornwall
S
kipper’s Cottage is tiny yet
light, airy and very cute.
Equipped simply but with
love and care, a superb
wet-room and cosy living area has
been fitted into this old shepherd’s
hut. Perched on the North Cornish
coast with breathtaking views from
every window, couples will really feel
close to the elements here.
Outdoors families: grab your
wellies, children and dogs and head
for the Quantocks. Out of the
undergrowth at Fyne Court has
emerged the handsome Fyne Court
Cottage, ready to take anything an
enthusiastic muddy family can
throw at it. There’s a big woodfloored family room, woodburning
stove, and even a cycle store.
Simply run wild on the estate or
head for the hills.
Take a look at these new
cottages and others at
nationaltrustcottages.co.uk
©Jim Elliott
nearby Cardinham Woods owned by
the Forestry Commission. These trails
provide steeper and more challenging
terrain – perfect for the more
experienced cyclist.
Both the National Trust and
Forestry Commission are delivery
partners in the 1 South West Off Road
Cycling Project, whose aim is to
encourage health, well-being, access
to the countryside and economic
prosperity. The project is invested in
through the Rural Development
Programme for England. SITA
Cornwall Trust and Sport England
have donated £30,000 and £20,000
respectively towards the new
adventure play area and cycle skills
areas; three local organisations are
sponsoring maintenance of the cycle
trails – Lanhydrock Hotel and Golf
Club, Callestick Farm Ice Cream and
Clive Mitchell Cycles.
Angela Proctor, Project Manager,
said: ‘There is more and more interest
in cycling as people realise that it is
good for both body and soul. The
Lanhydrock hub is part of our
commitment to increase cycling
experiences here in the South West
and improve access and enjoyment
of the stunning countryside that
we care for.’
As thoughts turn to holidays, take a look at two
of our newest holiday hideaways – a romantic
Cornish cabin and a gardener’s cottage nestling
in the Somerset Quantocks.
©Mike Henton
W
ell-managed cycling
facilities, such as those
at Lanhydrock,
encourage people to
enjoy the delights of spending time
outdoors in remarkable countryside.
So, bring your bike or hire one on-site,
and find out what both families and
experienced riders are now enthusing
about on social media.
Weaving gently through majestic
woodland, the trails fit perfectly into
the landscape and are free for all to
use. Even beginners will feel at ease
Perfect boltholes
A turning point in history
2014 sees the Trust begin to
commemorate the centenary of
the First World War.
©National Trust/ Steve Haywood
A Victorian discovery
In the summer of 1864, gamekeeper Thomas
Margetts was out ferreting on Lord Eldon’s estate
in Gloucestershire when he spied what looked
like part of an ancient pavement down a freshly
widened rabbit hole.
S
s. Ref. SR87/AO4.5G
ucestershire Archive
By courtesy of Glo
July1889: the Bristol
and Gloucestershire
Archaeological
Society visits the
Roman Villa Museum
at Chedworth
2
Summer 2014
earnest that summer to uncover
three distinct rooms and ‘floors…in
a beautiful state of preservation.’
As well as marking what happened
back in 1864, we’re celebrating the
whole of the last 150 years of
discovery and conservation work at
Chedworth and sharing our current
work and future plans.
Celebration events include a
Victorian Discovery Weekend from
31 May to 1 June. There are special
tours and the welcome return of
Legio Augusta II, the Roman
re-enactment group. For a Father’s
Day with a difference you could even
sell your dad as a slave – leaving him
to fight it out in the gladiators’ arena.
Following major redevelopments
at Chedworth, you can now have the
full Roman experience. Take a stroll
back in time along walkways
suspended just above the precious
Roman mosaics. Watch
archaeologists and conservators as
they painstakingly work on recently
uncovered mosaics – including one
of the longest corridor mosaics
in the country, which stretches
35 metres.
Find out more about Chedworth’s
anniversary events at
nationaltrust.org.uk/chedworth
and keep in touch through
social media.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/southwest
Alda, Lady Hoare, Harry Hoare,
Sir Henry Hoare and Sweep
of pastimes, one Sergeant-Major told
Alda that he had ‘never had a finer tea
in my life.’ Like many other heirs to
great estates, Harry sadly never
returned, dying from wounds in 1917.
‘Harry’s Story’ and other glimpses into
life a hundred years ago are woven
into this year’s visitor experience
across Stourhead.
Artist and poet Alec Finlay is
collaborating on an interactive display
‘Sandbag and Lectern’ at Lanhydrock
in Cornwall, where four of the five
sons went to the front, and there will
be guided tours by a military historian.
Times and dates vary, please check
nationaltrust.org.uk/lanhydrock
for details.
With warmer days
here it’s time to get
outdoors so why not
join in with our ‘50
things to do before
you’re 11 ¾’ activities?
Simple things like playing pooh
sticks by the riverbank, or making
daisy chain bracelets and tiaras can
be enjoyed by everyone. Or if the
weather’s not so good, let your child
enjoy the fun of running around in a
warm summer shower. And, while
we’re experiencing the elements,
who can forget the thrill of rolling
down a huge hill? Arms tucked
tightly into your body, a gently
push, then tumbling over and over,
flashes of blue sky and grass until
you finally slow to a halt at the
bottom surrounded by the smell
of fresh grass.
Or take them to the beach, hold
hands and run into the sea, wait for
the exact moment until a wave
soars towards you, then take a leap.
You never forget the first
exhilarating feel of the spray against
your face. And, more importantly,
there’ll never be a shortage of
waves to jump.
There’s tons to do in the
countryside, too, from flying a kite
or hunting for fossils or bones - you
could take them home and make
some wild art to hang on the wall.
How about planning an explorer
day for the kids? Use a map and
compass, pick blackberries along
the way, and at the end of the day,
you could build a campfire and cook
up something tasty - and don’t
forget the scary stories.
Activities needn’t be confined to
the daytime; many of our places are
offering the chance for families to
camp out overnight. Just watching
the stars appear then listening to
the sounds of the night will give
your children wonderful memories
to treasure.
©National Trust Images/Ben Selway
T
his chance sighting in a field
150 years ago led to the
discovery of Chedworth
Roman Villa – one of the
grandest villas in Roman Britain, and
one of the best preserved Roman
sites in the country, complete with
exquisite mosaics, bath houses,
latrines and even underfloor heating.
On Tuesday 28 June 1864, the
Cheltenham Chronicle was the first
to report, revealing that ‘A rumour
has just reached us to the effect that
within the last few days some
extensive Roman remains have been
brought to light in the vicinity of
Chedworth...’ Later news stories
revealed how excavation began in
©National Trust
E
xhibitions and events
exploring the stories of
various houses and their
occupants will be taking place
from now through to 2018. Some
exhibitions will be updated annually
to show the impact of the conflict
year on year.
At Castle Drogo, in Devon, like
many others, the Drewe family
originally believed that it would all be
over by Christmas 1914. ‘The corridor
of no return’ (left) in the castle is being
refreshed each year with hundredyear-old extracts from letters, diaries
and photographs to show the dawning
realisation and is strikingly illustrated
with the depiction of two men leaving,
never to return.
In Wiltshire, Harry Hoare was an
only child, whose destiny was to marry
and to inherit a country estate. That
place was Stourhead but like many
others, however, his future changed
when war was declared on 4 August.
Joining the Dorset Yeomanry, Harry
went to fight at the front while his
parents supported the war effort
at home.
Sir Henry and Alda, Lady Hoare,
requisitioned war horses for the
military, stockpiled food for the
villagers and, when the Red Cross
opened a hospital nearby, entertained
the injured soldiers. Offering a variety
©Martin Franks
Life’s a The past comes
beach! to life
with its very own Knights and
Damsels Academy. There’s a medieval
armoury, sword-fighting
demonstrations, cookery and an
insight into medieval enlightenment.
The grand finale comes in
September with English Civil War
events, re-living Corfe Castle’s
dramatic role in the turbulent
seventeenth century – from
gunpowder and explosives to Lord
Hopton’s Regiment of Foote with their
drills and weapon displays.
Lawrence clearly loves his work:
‘Corfe Castle is very special to both us
and our visitors. You walk in and
immediately sense its history. We
want to make sure everything we do
brings out that history, and transports
people back in time.’
©National Trust Images/Stuart Cox
Cutting the ‘wibbly
wobbly’ hedge at
Montacute
A natural twist
W
hen you unravel their
history, many of the
splendid fashion pieces
at Killerton owe their
good looks to nature’s basic raw
materials – cotton, wool and silk.
This year’s ‘Nature in Fashion’
exhibition reveals how, in the hands
of skilled workers, these simple
fibres and threads were transformed
over the centuries into fashion
statements.
Colourful clothing dating from the
1700s to the 1960s is under close
scrutiny: many items turn out to be
decorated with materials and motifs
derived from nature. Among the
treasures on display there’s an
exquisitely embroidered nineteenth
century silk satin gown, a 1920s
hand-painted linen day dress and an
elegantly tailored Victorian
gentleman’s coat.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/southwest
Be ready for a few surprises too.
As well as the obvious natural
contenders, some cloth has been
ingeniously created from more
unusual plant fibres such as aloe
and pineapple.
For the first time, the team at
Killerton is collaborating with Exeter
College’s Centre for the Creative
Industries to showcase not only
historic pieces but also
contemporary work by the students
and practising artists and designers.
Killerton’s costume curator Shelley
Tobin said: ‘We hope you’ll enjoy
discovering the amazing and
sometimes surprising stages which
natural fibres went through
as they metamorphosed
into fabulous
clothing.’
of visitors to Glendurgan.
At Lanhydrock you can see a photo
from the early 1900s of Hon. Victor
Agar-Robartes as a member of the
Eton school football team. Football
was known at Eton as the ‘field
game’ and in 1815 the school’s team
was the first in the world to
document its rules, which included
being allowed to handle the ball!
Exploring the wider estates
brings further revelations:
Tyntesfield and Greenway
have tennis courts,
Lanhydrock, Killerton and
Knightshayes all have
cricket grounds and at
Lanhydrock you may
also come across the old
Victorian swimming
pool. Now only used by
the occasional dog,
it’s another fascinating
glimpse into the
playtime of past
generations.
©National Trust/ Steve Haywood
One theory is that they were drained
down to make it easier to net the fish
when required. These days, it’s a case
of keeping the growth down.
Ever tried to trim a jelly? The
gardeners at Montacute can offer tips
during their mammoth annual task of
clipping the two ‘wibbly wobbly’
hedges. The hedges were planted in
the Victorian period. However, after a
period of limited time and money,
heavy snow in 1947 collapsed the
hedges, but unlike jelly, they didn’t
bounce back. Cutting starts in early
August and continues until the team
has finished over a mile of hedging
including 96 Irish Yew obelisks.
The Cherry Laurel hedges in the
maze at Glendurgan are purposely
kept low, partly for ease of maintenance
and partly to make it less daunting for
children. The hedges are fed once a
year and usually cut in June. It takes
three gardeners a day to cut the
hedges and another day to rake up the
clippings and carry them out by hand.’
In June, we’re planning some
‘behind the scenes’ days at a
few of our gardens in the South
West to help you explore some
of the lesser known parts of the
gardens and find out what
happens in our working areas.
Keep an eye on the South West
pages of our website for details
as they are confirmed.
n the Victorian and Edwardian
eras onwards, the concept of
leisure activities and recreational
sport really took hold.
You can track down the evidence
at many of our West Country houses,
and sometimes follow in their
footsteps. You’ll find golf clubs at
various places, including the luggage
room at Lanhydrock, while the Golf
Room at Knightshayes reflects the
golfing career of Lady HeathcoatAmory (see right) who, as Miss Joyce
Wethered, was four-times winner of
the Ladies Open in the 1920s. Agatha
Christie and her family and friends
would play clock golf and croquet at
Greenway, and you can do the same
there yourself. You can also try
croquet at Montacute, Cotehele,
Castle Drogo, Tyntesfield, Lacock
and Lytes Cary.
Billiard rooms became increasingly
fashionable from the late eighteenth
or early nineteenth century. Billiard
tables can be found at Tyntesfield,
Knightshayes and also at Dunster
Castle (above) where you can
practise potting a ball or two.
A rather more unusual form of
entertainment was created by
Quaker parents Alfred and Sarah Fox
when they made a maze in 1833 to
entertain their family of twelve
children. It still delights thousands
Summer 2014
3
©National Trust Images/James Dobson
I
an Wright, our South West Garden
Adviser shares some of the more
unusual tasks performed by our
garden teams. ‘To begin with,
gardeners weed around a Cornish
fishing cove on top of the Cotswolds.
Odd, but it happens at Snowshill
Manor too, as it includes a model
village based on a Cornish cove.
Gardeners tend the citrus trees in the
Orange Grove, not in Spain, but at
Saltram near Plymouth. The Grove is
the trees’ historic outside home: they
used to be placed outside on 22 May
(oak apple day) and returned to the
winter protection of the Orangery
around mid-October. With today’s
warmer climate the oranges and
lemons are allowed outside for longer.
At Godolphin the garden team has a
slightly surreal task of strimming the
inside of the medieval fish ponds. Now
minus water and fish, no scuba
equipment is required. It is thought
that these two ancient features once
held fish intended for the dinner table.
I
©Neil Davidson
It’s all in a day’s work!
How did the families who lived
in our country houses spend their
leisure time?
©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra
©National Trust Images/Ben Selway
A visit to the seaside brings out
the playful side in all of us and at
some of our beaches over the
summer we do our bit to help. On
Studland’s sandy beach there are
nets up for you to enjoy a game
of volleyball. Over the summer
holidays in North Devon,
volleyball is a regular Fun Friday
activity at Woolacombe beach,
along with sand modelling and
beach cricket amongst other
things. Near Woolacombe is
Barricane beach where you can
join one of our regular rockpool
rambles. Meanwhile in North
Cornwall we work with three
outdoor pursuits companies to
promote our wildlife and
conservation messages to those
coming along to try out
coasteering, surfing and other
coastal activities. Look at the
enclosed events listing or the
website for details of these and
more things to do.
‘We’ve repelled the Viking hordes and
the Saxon defenders have struck
camp and left,’ reports Lawrence
Roots, Visitor Services Manager at
Corfe Castle.
This dramatic royal stronghold on
the beautiful Isle of Purbeck in Dorset
is totally immersed in its thousandyear history. Cromwell’s troops may
have done their worst, but somehow
the castle ruins still stand tall, with
arrow slits and murder holes just
waiting to be discovered.
Lawrence says: ‘The living history
programme at Corfe Castle is one of
the biggest in the National Trust and
2014 looks like being even bigger.
We’ve got something happening each
weekend and every day of the school
holidays, right up until the end
of September.’
In June, birds of prey will be
swooping over the castle ruins in
spectacular historic falconry displays
– from the origins of falconry in Saxon
times through to its golden age in
Tudor Britain and beyond. Then in July
there’s a Festival of Archaeology and a
celebration of food and drink.
Throughout August, you can step
back in time in the castle’s hugely
popular Medieval Village, complete
Having a ball
An award-winning gem
©National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel
The parlour at Coleridge Cottage
the cottage for over a hundred years
recently undertook a major project to
restore original features and open
extra rooms to visitors in the Victorian
extension.
Since then we’ve worked with the
Friends of Coleridge Society to show
what life was like in Coleridge’s time,
dressing many of the rooms as if the
poet’s family had just walked out of
them. The parlour, for example,
recreates a vivid scene described in
Coleridge’s poem ‘Frost at Midnight’.
The garden was opened for the first
time in 2011, including the restored
well where Coleridge would have
drawn his water supply. Visitors can
also now listen to Coleridge’s poetry
through audio recordings in the places
that inspired his creativity; all of this
adds to the sense of atmosphere of
the cottage in Coleridge’s day.
New discoveries
Thanks to the restoration
of a historic right of way,
visitors to Dorset now
have the opportunity to
tread in fifteenth century
footsteps.
An ancient track, the Priest’s Way
was once used by clergy to travel
between the communities of
Swanage, Langton Matravers and
Worth Matravers. Three miles in
length, it is a designated bridleway
giving access to some beautiful
countryside on the Dorset coast.
In recent years, however, the surface
had deteriorated, making walking
very difficult.
With the Dorset community
enthusiastic to reopen the path, the
project was a collaboration between
nearby Parish Councils, Dorset
County Council and the Purbeck
National Trust Ranger team. Funding
was provided by the Paths for
Communities fund, administered by
Natural England, and donations
from Langton Matravers, the
A view of the creek
alongside Ethy Wood
quite how significant this place is.
Work is underway to ensure Ethy
remains the perfect home for these
precious lichens. In the woods,
young tree growth is being cleared
from around older, former parkland
trees and grazing reintroduced to
give the small and vulnerable lichen
communities there the best chance
of survival.
Take a slow creek-side stroll
between Lerryn and Ethy Rock, and
see if you can spot the rich diversity
of the lichens’ colours and textures
for yourself.
After the storms
From prints to ponds
Thank you for using your
membership: each time
you visit, the places you
love receive £3.35
• New baby carriers for visitors to Buckland Abbey
• Pond-dipping platforms at East
Soar Farm
• Ultra-violet lamps to tackle algae on Chedworth Roman Villa’s mosaics
• Creation of a stone kissing-gate on the Cotswold Way
• Spring planting and a new rookery gate at Killerton
• Path improvements at Newark Park
• Aluminium greenhouse staging and slate steps at Overbeck’s
• Replacement of staddle stones at Barrington Court
• Additional garden seating at Greenway
• Planting of cherry trees in the bog garden at Lytes Cary Manor
• A new information board and map for Trengwainton
• Acquisition of indigenous
Famille Verte vases for
Great Chalfield Manor
©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra
M
any of our conservation
and development
projects can only happen
thanks to the support of
over 30 National Trust Centres and
Associations. They promote us within
their local area and raise money
through a programme of behind-the
scenes visits, expert talks and
relaxing holidays.
The types of things that our Centres
and Associations donate money
towards reveal the extraordinary
range of needs within the Trust. Here
are a few examples of areas that they
have funded over the last year:
• A trail and owl-box camera for Godolphin
• Restoration of a damaged sailing print at Arlington Court
Join a National Trust Centre or
Association today and you’ll be
getting together with other people
who feel as passionate about our
places as you. You’ll not only make
new friends and share some special
experiences, but you’ll know you will
be directly helping a great cause.
If you’d like to find out about groups
near you, contact Maria Vicary at
[email protected]
or 01392 883157
Our Director for the South West,
Mark Harold writes about the
impact of the winter’s storms on
our coastline.
‘I know our region’s coast is
special to many of you; most of us
have precious memories of seaside
holidays or cherished recollections
of encounters with wildlife living on
our coastal margins. The succession
of dramatic storms and tidal surges
that battered our coast over the
winter had, and in some cases
Mark Harold, Director for the South West,
continues to have a personal impact
at Studland after the winter storms
on local people. It certainly made
for a lot of extra work for our ranger
building
teams,
We knowin
that
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of nature are part of the beauty and
heritage
in the region
Amongst other tasks, ranger
appeal of our coast, and we work
teams and volunteers have been
with natural processes wherever
repairing parts of the South West
possible. Back in 2005 we published
Coast Path, restoring beach access
the seminal and ground breaking
and creating new routes to move
Shifting Shores report, which we’ve
the path where landslips left us no
just updated. Since 2005 we have
alternative. Much of this work is
worked with nature, sometimes
funded by the Neptune Coastline
accepting loss, sometimes removing
Campaign, which many of you have
old man-made sea defences and
kindly given to in the past.
sometimes repairing in the shorter
Neptune’s importance is highlighted term to give the time and space to
when extreme events like the winter
adjust. We plan for the long term
storms strike, as it’s a vital source of (thinking 50 to 100 years ahead)
speedy funding for us to use on
and work in partnership with
repairs. Next year we’ll celebrate the neighbours and other organisations.
Neptune Coastline Campaign’s
Search ‘coastal change’ on the
fiftieth anniversary: to find out more National Trust website, which we’ve
or to make a donation, please visit
just updated if you’re interested in
nationaltrust.org.uk/neptune.
knowing more’.
A Dartmoor gem
For more information and alternative formats, please call us on
01392 881691 or email [email protected]
Find us on Facebook
@NTSouthWest
Summer 2014
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/southwest
Swanage and Worth Matravers
Parish Councils and the Ramblers
Holidays Charitable Trust.
Trust rangers stepped in to
support the project with logistical
assistance, built two new bridleways
and a permissive route. Now, two
years later, the Priest’s Way has been
fully restored using natural materials
and drawing praise from users.
Ian Wilson, Assistant Director of
Operations said ‘One thing that
strikes me about the Priest’s Way is
the part it has played in our long
cultural heritage, as well as
providing access for walkers and
riders today. It will be valued for
generations to come. The project
was a prime example of a
community looking after its heritage
and environment with the help of
the National Trust’.
The track runs near several sites
of archeological importance,
including the site of the ‘Langton
Hoard’, a treasure trove of Bronze
Age axes, which were discovered in
2007 and stand as the largest hoard
found in Britain.
Registered charity no. 205846
This newsletter is printed with vegetablebased ink on 100% recycled paper.
Please recycle after use
Regional Director: Mark Harold
Editor: Shona Owen
©National Trust/ ??????????????
Along the beautiful Fowey estuary,
leading lichen expert Neil Sanderson
recently carried out a survey of the
National Trust’s Ethy Woods. Here he
discovered not only a lichen species
new to Cornwall, but another new to
England as well – making this one of
the best places in the UK for these
unusual organisms.
Lichens are endlessly fascinating
– they aren’t single organisms, as on
close inspection they turn out to be
two living together with both
benefiting from the alliance. One
partner is a fungus and the other an
alga or a bacterium, and they come
in all shapes and sizes.
Found protruding from
branches some lichens
are simple patches of
grey and green, but here
at Ethy there are others
that are more showy and
leafy, found protruding
from branches.
One of the rare species that Neil
discovered here for the first time –
Bacidia incompta – used to be found
largely on elm, but has declined
significantly because of Dutch
elm disease.
And on a small slow-growing,
creek-side holly he came upon the
species new to England – Arthonia
ilicinella – that is known to favour
the damp, oceanic conditions more
often found in western Scotland
and Ireland.
Trees at Ethy were first found to
be of special interest for lichens in
the late 1990s, but we now realise
Priest’s Way
©National Trust/ George Taylor
When it comes to rare
lichens, clean air and
ancient trees is the perfect
recipe for success, and one
corner of Cornwall seems
to have just the right mix.
©National Trust/ Steve
Haywood
T
he small West Country
cottage where poet Samuel
Taylor Coleridge wrote his
best poetry has won gold in
the South West Tourism Excellence
Awards for small visitor attraction of
the year. The cottage is now shortlisted
in the national VisitEngland awards.
This is the second significant tribute
for Coleridge Cottage, which was
recently presented with an award by
National Trust Chairman Simon
Jenkins for ‘bringing places to life’.
It was included in The Times 2013
list of the world’s 50 best museums,
which also featured the British
Museum and institutions from Berlin
to Beijing.
The modest home in Nether Stowey
is where Coleridge lived for three
years from 1797 - the starting point of
the Romantic Movement. The
National Trust, which has cared for
Before and after pictures demonstrate
the success of the work