Category Archives: Rural Britain
Britishness and the Hedge (and Burgess Hill)
I’m in Burgess Hill, the town where I grew up. The last of my family moved away over twenty years ago and I have lost touch with most people I knew here. It is a dormitory town, an hour from … Continue reading
Filed under Historical Hedges, Rural Britain, The Hedge Philosopher
Hedgewalking – lovely illustrated walk, Hermitage blog
Just to link to this lovely series of pictures (and descriptions) of the hedgerows in lanes and fields close to the edge of Dartmoor, from the Hermitage blog. Well worth a look especially if, like me, you are stuck somewhere … Continue reading
Filed under Everyday Hedges, Rural Britain
Requiem for Cowm Top
I spent Wednesday afternoon being walked up and down muddy lanes in Rochdale by my wife. Rather than consulting a map she had decided to trust to some rather distant childhood memories of the route, so it took a while … Continue reading
Filed under Hedge Politics, Rural Britain
Another Hedge of Many Species
This one is from Eaglescarnie Mains, a farm in East Lothian, run by Michael and Barbara Williams, also photos from my mum. It’s at least a couple of centuries old, going from maps, but given the variety of species it … Continue reading
Filed under Everyday Hedges, Hedges and Biodiversity, Rural Britain
A Hedge of Many Species
As I keep mentioning, hedges have a valuable role to play in biodiversity, as they contain such a wide variety of flora and fauna, and provide cover and nutrition for many small animals, whether they be bird, mammal, insect or … Continue reading
Filed under Everyday Hedges, Hedges and Biodiversity, Rural Britain
Hedges and bees – and the future of our crops
There is a good article in the Guardian (here) about research done by Northampton University’s Landscape and Biodiversity Research Group showing that bees use hedgerows to navigate around the countryside. Of course we already know how crucial bees are for … Continue reading
Filed under Hedges and Biodiversity, Rural Britain
The Hundred Acre Wood
I have brought my daughter for a day out in Ashdown Forest in the hope of getting some sense of what the original wildwood looked like. The first hedges were, of course, created as assart hedges, the remnants of ancient … Continue reading
Filed under Historical Hedges, Rural Britain, Trees, Woodland
The Hedgerows of Flore and One O’Clock Farm
One late summer day in Northamptonshire, I’ve stopped for tea at the wonderfully named Bliss Lane Nursery. In the village of Flore, past Meadow Farm, this is a small haven, with greenhouses full of plants, and a small farm area … Continue reading
Filed under Historical Hedges, Rural Britain
