views, issue 56, 2019: change and exploration · 6 transformative creative partnerships sally...

Views

Change and exploration

Issue 56 Autumn 2019

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When I am gone, I hope my friends will not try to carry out any special system or to follow blindly in the track which I have trodden. New circumstances require various efforts... and it is the spirit, not the dead form, that should be perpetuated.

oCTAVIA hIll

Views

Change and exploration

Issue 56 Autumn 2019

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Editorial informationViews is compiled and edited by Jacky Ferneyhough. Credit and thanks are due to Anthony Lambert for his efficient proofreading and excellent advice.

All queries associated with Views should be emailed to [email protected]

The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the National Trust.

This publication may be freely copied for the Trust’s internal purposes but, if directly quoted, acknowledgement of source should be given. Permission must be sought from the Editor before reproducing articles in external publications.

DistributionThe distribution of Views to National Trust properties and offices is now centrally managed. If you need to change the quantity you receive or to raise any queries, please email the editor at [email protected]

Views is available on the Trust’s intranet (search for ‘Views magazine’) and on the internet: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/views-magazine

Front cover, quote: from a speech by Octavia Hill in 1898 at the unveiling of her portrait by John Singer Sargent, a gift from her supporters for her 60th birthday. Small images from left: kingfisher, Mottisfont, Hampshire. © NTI/Richard Bradshaw; art installation on the terrace at Chartwell, Kent. © NT/Sam Milling; volunteer using the SCHARP app on the north coast of Scotland near Durness. © SCAPE; the Bardin celestial globe, Charlecote Park, Warwickshire. © NT/Sylvia Sumira

Page 1: The Bardin terrestrial globe at Charlecote Park, Warwickshire, during its conservation. © NT/Sylvia Sumira

Page 3: Drone filming on Hambledon Hill, Dorset. © National Trust Images/Clive Whitbourn

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Guidelines for contributorsViews is intended as a free exchange of ideas, experiences and practices. Comments and contributions are welcomed at any time from the Views readership. However, if a contributor’s opinion differs widely from policies and practices endorsed by the National Trust, we may wish to discuss with the contributor the best way to represent their view, whilst also giving space for the Trust’s approach to be stated in the same or a future edition.

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Please email articles to [email protected]

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For an information sheet on writing for Views, please email [email protected]

Views 3

Editorial

It is somewhat paradoxical that the heritage and conservation sectors should be sustained by innovation, change and

a pioneering spirit. Maintaining a certain condition requires constant revision and creative minds. And our role is the active management of change, so dynamism should be a familiar state for all our places. Heritage and conservation, along with the environmental and tourism sectors, are certainly stimulating �elds to be active in.

We have the rare and privileged position of uniting these sectors to deliver more for all, from incorporating renewable ener� systems into historic buildings, to uncovering long-forgotten knowledge of landscapes, skills, smu�lers and da�odils.

Far from being held in a version of the past, our places are regularly – and excitingly – refreshing their stories and trialling di�erent ways to do things better.

Given our 124 years (stay tuned for the 125th), it might be expected that there would be little new left to say. But staying ahead of trends, whether of climatic patterns, visitor interests or technological applications, is part of a normal working day in the National Trust. The articles in this issue of Views truly show what ‘being the change’ means, from grounding �ood prevention in the natural environment to, literally, seeing the heavens. They show how change based on diligent enquiry and research can give rise to knowledge which,

now shared, could help others to raise their sights too.

The authors of these articles, sta�, volunteers and contemporaries alike, are making incredible strides in seemingly disparate areas of work. They are related by a joined-up approach to achieving more and better. It is clear that, as individuals and collectively, what we do and how we do it has to be in a continual state of learning and development. There is certainly much to learn from the contents of this issue. There is also a great deal to enjoy – do explore!

Mark Harold, Director of Land & NatureJohn Orna-Ornstein, Director of Culture & Engagement

Views 2020: taking the long view

2020, and our theme for next year, is the National Trust’s 125th anniversary and our continuing care of the natural world and historic interest on our places for ever, for everyone. Drawing on your work, your property or its signi�cances, we shall be looking for articles on what has stood the test of time, how the ideals of our founders still �nd expression today, and on the enduring or innovative practices that will sustain us into the future.

The deadline for articles will be 1 June 2020. However, articles and recommendations of authors/projects are welcomed at any time; please send them to [email protected]

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Contents

6 Transformative creative partnershipsSally James, Visitor Experience Consultant

9 Churchill’s Chartwell: rediscovering relevance in the twenty-�rst centuryBeatrice Rapley, Project Manager

12 Transformation: co-creating experiences at StoweMichael Lovibond, Creative Project Manager, and the Transformation Project Team

15 Open house: creating exhibitions in historic housesMatthew Constantine, Curator

18 New audiences for old art: winter exhibitions at Petworth, 2013–19Andrew Loukes, House and Collections Manager

21 Inspired by Nature, crafted by ambitionRichard Grudzinski, Visitor Experience Manager

23 Creative interpretation in derelict spacesChristina Hanley, House Steward

25 ‘Without an indigenous collection’: Goddards HouseGuy Newton, Conservation Assistant

29 Objects of exploration: the Bardin globesJulie Marsden, Conservator, and Jess Wolverson, Senior House Steward

33 Di�ing up fresh stories: a renaissance for the Trust’s plant collections?Jess Usher, Volunteer

36 In from the cold: uncovering the many histories of Dunwich HeathRichard Symes, Volunteer

39 Forgotten stories revisited: the National Trust and coastal conservation in Devon David Pinder, University of Plymouth

42 Lost and found: tracking down a traditional skillEleanor Harding, Assistant Curator

Exploring relevance Changing places

45 Revealing Tughall’s true natureGwen Potter, Countryside Manager

48 Our Mire Desire: exploring uncharted territory and habitat restoration in West CornwallKate Evans, Senior Visitor Experience O®cer

50 Changing for the better: improving biodiversity in Mottisfont’s chalk streamsDylan Everett, Countryside Manager

53 Renewing the New Forest: change and regeneration of heathlandJacob White, Area Ranger

55 Looking at change and exploration in the National Trust Design GuidesKelly Dowdell and Adele Watt, Design Guide Team

57 One hundred years of change and 43 years of trying!Ray Hawes, Head of Forestry

Open to exploration

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60 Sewage, grease, bibles and turbines: ener� recovery research in the National TrustKeith Jones, Climate Change Adviser

62 Change is afoot: how to plan for a future of unpredictabilityLucia Watts, PhD researcher

65 Designing with nature in a warming planetJose Alfredo Ramirez and Clara Oloriz, GroundLab and Architectural Association

69 Preparing for change: Northey Island Coastal Adaptation Strate�Daniel Le�ett, Coastal Projects Manager

71 Going with the �owJe� Cherrington, Lead Ranger

Getting ready for change

Charting change Being the change

73 How do we know so much about Scotland’s coastal heritage? Insights and achievements from long-term public involvement in research with SCAPEJoanna Hambly, SCAPE

75 Learning from SCAPEPhil Dyke, Coast & Marine Adviser

76 Sand dunes, mobility and cultural heritagePhil Dyke, Coast and Marine Adviser

78 A consequence of rabbits: changing Murlough’s natureJo Whatmough, Volunteer and former Adviser on Nature Conservation

82 Recording change: the Inspired by Knole ProjectVeronica Walker-Smith, Oral History Volunteer

85 Taking a second look: an update on the Furniture Research & Cataloguing ProjectMegan Wheeler, Principal Collections Cataloguer (Furniture)

88 Changing history: new techniques and technolo� informing The Vyne's storyDan Miles, Oxford University, and Neil Loader, Swansea University

90 Explorers of the Digital AgeTom Dommett, Archaeologist/Remote Sensing National Specialist

94 Time for a new approach: going beyond the limitations of land ownershipSophie Badrick, Colourful Coast Project O®cer

96 Lost in space? An urban property perspective on dark skiesJodie Peachey, Ranger

99 Surviving a year of no driving as a National Trust consultantVictoria Whitehouse, Fundraising Consultant

6 Views Exploring relevance

Partnership working is a way through which cultural organisations such as the National Trust can evolve and

explore new avenues. The Mendoza Report published by DCMS in 2017 recommended partnerships as best practice for museums, su�esting their sta� and volunteers think about this not only in a local context but nationally and internationally too.

Over the last �ve years I’ve worked on creative projects which demonstrate how this way of working can be truly transformative for both our places and partners. In 2019, the Museums + Heritage Awards acknowledged this by announcing a new category: ‘to recognise the most innovative cultural partnerships’. What, however, does a successful partnership look like?

Ground-up partnerships

I am currently ful�lling a secondment position as a pan-regional Visitor Experience Consultant in London & South East, but have been delighted to continue as the lead for a new exhibition programme at Rainham Hall, The Denney Edition: Celebrating an icon of 20th century style, which opened in June 2019. It is a major interpretation and co-creation programme about 1960s former resident Anthony Denney (1913–90) and is supported by funding from the Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants scheme (Rainham Hall was the �rst Trust place to receive funding under the new memorandum of agreement between our two organisations). The Denney Edition has been built on partnership working, with clear objectives about achieving goals to work with new partners and to exceed our baseline of over 60% of exhibits being co-created with local people.

The Denney Edition is a fantastic example

Exploring relevance

Transformative creative partnershipsSally James, Visitor Experience Consultant, London & South East

of what our Whole Trust colleagues might describe as ‘ground-up’ partnership working, whereby an idea or project emerges in a grass-roots way from a property but can go on to secure buy-in from multiple partners and become part of shared initiatives. Having

Anthony Denney by Gordon Bishop, 1953 (NPG x126326). © Reserved; collection National Portrait Gallery, London

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and decorating students from Havering College to bring some of Denney’s paint e�ects, such as white marble, black marble, red tortoise shell, maple wood and gilding, back into the house on specially constructed screens. Students from the Costume Construction Course at South Essex College, in partnership with the Royal Opera House, replicated some of the accessories visible in three of Denney’s most compelling photographs for Vogue. Food artist Tasha Marks from AVM Curiosities and ceramicist Justine Hounam worked with students from Havering College to create a scented ceramic installation that brings to life Denney’s food photography. The ceramic fruits and aromas will represent the new �avours introduced to post-war Britain by Elizabeth David through Denney’s photos.

In the outdoors we partnered ceramicist Matthew Raw with volunteers, visitors and local pottery groups, to �re tiles for Japanese garden lantern sculptures inspired by ones Denney had himself. Nearly 1,000 tiles were �red over three months in a pit in our Community Gardens to create amazing organic, monochrome patterns. Denney loved �owers and he would choose them for display in a room that picked out colours in a piece of furniture or one of his artworks. Floral design studio Worm London hosted workshops with our volunteers and members of the local Rainham Horticultural Society to teach them how to make �oral arrangements for the house using cut �owers from the garden.

Over the two years The Denney Edition is on display, new exhibits will be created and new partnerships formed. In 2020, MA Fashion Photography students from the London College of Fashion and fashion

Decorating World’. Denney loved gardens, with a particular passion for Japanese ikebana �ower arranging. He collected objets d’art, with trinkets and stunning pieces from his trips to Paris, Japan, Mexico and Australia. His art collection included pieces by Jean Dubu�et, Christo Coetzee and Bernard Bu�et.

Denney’s story is about photography, interior decorating and design, fashion, style, art, travel and gardens. Identifying and mapping these themes gave us plenty of inspiration about prospective partners. The challenge (and incredible opportunity) at Rainham Hall remains how to tell amazing stories in an empty house, as there is no indigenous collection and little trace of Denney aside from some wonderful paint schemes he applied during his tenancy. Our concept is to present the building as if it were a magazine, with di�erent rooms presented as articles focusing on themes such as fashion photography, interior decoration and Denney’s food photography for famous cookbook writer Elizabeth David. Rainham Hall has been set-up as a ‘programmable house’, a cultural resource re�ecting both stories from the past and people today. It is the contemporary angle that has led us to the most exciting partnerships as we considered, ‘who are the in�uential stylists and designers of today?’

Collaborative working – matching local partners and creative practitioners

Local artists, design companies, craftspeople and students are among those who have played a key role in creating exhibits and co-curating rooms to represent Denney’s life. For example, decorative paint artists Rag Arts worked in collaboration with painting

been in development since 2014, prospective partners were considered early on but we really started to gather momentum when we appointed in 2017 a creative collaborator, The Decorators, to work with us to develop a concept design. Today, as we’re overseeing the installation of a major new exhibition programme in the house and gardens, it’s incredible to re�ect on the number of people involved, ranging from designers to creative partners, course leaders and students from four di�erent university courses and, of course, our volunteers.

The golden thread

Key to a successful partnership – in my experience – is the golden thread that links everything and everyone together. One of the joys of working on The Denney Edition is the rich historical and visual content. Denney’s life and work makes for a great story; one we’ve been adding to and re-telling over the last �ve years. His story has helped to secure partners, but it has been shaped by our partners too as they have interpreted Denney in their own ways. Our decision to focus on him, however, is no accident. In 2014, historic research volunteers and sta� identi�ed Denney as one of our most intriguing former residents.

Denney held the tenancy at Rainham Hall from 1964 to 1969. His friend, Robin Fedden, the then Deputy Director of the National Trust, recommended him as a tenant with ‘the taste, knowledge and means to make the inside of the house extremely attractive’.1 Denney decorated the house in his unique style, redecorating the walls in a way that echoed its Georgian past but that would serve as the perfect stage for his own fusion of antique furniture and contemporary art. Denney’s in�uence as a tastemaker is re�ected in his photography for Vogue and House & Garden magazines. He captured fashionable interiors and beautiful gardens, and would provide readers with his top decorating tips. One newspaper in the 1950s referred to him as ‘The Dior of the Interior

Screen painting with Rag Arts and students from Havering College. © National Trust/Sally James

Anthony Denney’s card to notify people he had moved to Rainham Hall. © Reproduced courtesy of Vogue © The Condé Nast Publications Ltd.


inspiration and creative stimulation through the development of this exhibition. It’s wonderful to see this coming full circle, with articles about the exhibition appearing recently in Condé Nast publications such as Tatler, House & Garden and World of Interiors.

Conclusion

Partnerships can provide many bene�ts to the Trust, from sparking new ideas, to generating income, facilitating the sharing of skills and resources, and developing approaches to engage with new audiences. Across the Trust today I see fantastic examples of partnership working with cultural or environmental organisations, but also with educational institutions, businesses and community groups. The Denney Edition provides a fascinating case study demonstrating how to engage partners through a compelling story and how multiple creative partnerships can transform our places.

Reference1. Memorandum from R.R. Fedden on Denney’s

application to take the tenancy of Rainham Hall, 3 September 1964.

Denney, resides in Spain but spends time each year in Paris, and we were grateful to meet with her there. She also contributed to the exhibition in the form of loans, helping to select appropriate personal objects and photographs for display.

In-kind support from corporate partner, The Condé Nast Publications Ltd, made this exhibition possible. Our relationship began with a visit to see the archivist at Vogue House who granted us access to Denney’s correspondence �les and back issues of House & Garden magazine and British Vogue. Condé Nast has shared in our delight of shining a spotlight on one of their in�uential, but lesser known sta� photographers and editors. Denney even played a role in the opening of the ‘new’ Vogue o®ces at Hanover Square, decorating their launch party on the roof with fantasy gondola lights and huge chandeliers! The Condé Nast �les reveal details about the volume of work Denney completed, his contracts and agreements, and information about props and accessories for speci�c photo shoots. However, we were excited to discover more personal touches too: ‘new address’ cards informing colleagues he had moved to the hall, invitations to parties over the years, postcards from trips abroad, and in his later years friendly notelets written to keep in touch with his former colleagues. Reviewing Denney’s photography in archive issues of British Vogue and House & Garden magazine has been a source of constant

students from Havering College will collaborate to create a modern-day version of Denney’s 1950s ‘Clothes in a Setting’ photo series shot for British Vogue. The students’ work will use interiors in the surrounding borough of Havering as back drops for new fashions.

International partners

Denney travelled extensively and lived abroad at various points in his life, collaborated with di�erent international companies and publications on photo shoots, and he was a keen patron of up-and-coming artists. Tracing sources of information and photographs relating to Denney’s life and work has therefore led us to archives and publications all over the world, from the University of Pretoria in South Africa to the Harvard Schlesinger Library in the United States. Rainham Hall Heritage Trainee, Dominic Neergheen, played a crucial role in seeking copyright permission and image licences for this exhibition. The Denney Edition is a very visual exhibition programme so we must thank all the individuals and those at archives, libraries and companies who have been open to working in collaboration with us. Denney passed away in 1990, but we are extremely grateful to his friends, colleagues and family for sharing memories, information and photographs. Denney’s second wife, Celia

Ceramic slip casting of fruit with AVM Curiosities, ceramicist Justine Hounam and Havering College students. © National Trust/Sally James


to deliver original pieces of work around the theme of ‘relevance’ to engage with new and younger people, particularly those from ‘Generation X’, and to o�er more �exible models for volunteering.5

Churchill’s Chartwell

In late 2016, sta� received the thrilling news that their application had been successful. Thanks to funding from the NLHF and other generous donors, and the support of National Trust centres and associations, the four-year Churchill’s Chartwell project could begin. Chartwell has now been involved in delivering a £7.1 million nationally signi�cant cultural heritage project for the past two years.6 The project has increased sta� capacity by bringing in new roles, including my own as Project Manager, plus a Project Curator, Learning and Participation O®cer, Volunteering and Participation Coordinator,

In her book The Art of Relevance, Nina Simon explores how mission-driven organisations can matter more to more

people: ‘If your work lives in a locked room with a tiny door, with only a few keys out in circulation to open it, few people will know. Few people will care. It doesn’t matter how powerful the experience is inside the room if most people cannot or choose not to enter.’1

Not far from Westerham and with stunning views across the Weald of Kent, Chartwell, the home of Sir Winston Churchill, attracts over 250,000 visitors a year. Of these, the majority are mature independents: educated, a¸uent, high achievers with a strong background knowledge of Churchill – some visitors and volunteers can even recall attending his funeral in 1965.

However, as time goes on, and if projected visitor trends transpire, Churchill will cease to be within living memory and future audiences may not have such an

Churchill’s Chartwell: rediscovering relevance in the twenty-�rst centuryBeatrice Rapley, Project Manager, Churchill’s Chartwell

emotional attachment to him. To apply Simon’s analo�, there is potential that, in the future, fewer people will choose to unlock the door to Chartwell. This may seem unthinkable to current Churchill fans, but as our friends and colleagues at Hughenden know all too well, political �gures can fade from public consciousness.2 Already outreach sessions in schools are showing us that most local children have not visited Chartwell and cannot recognise Churchill from a photograph. Alongside this, we know there are societal shifts in the demographics of volunteers. As people live longer, retire later and spend more time caring for older or younger relatives, they have less free time to commit to volunteering. There are also changes in working patterns too, as people take on multi-hyphen careers3 and work unconventional hours in a multitude of locations. To respond positively to these changes, Chartwell applied to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF)4 for funding

Artists Patrick Bullock and E.J. Scott on the Pink Terrace at Chartwell with the giant head of Churchill they created as part of the contemporary art trail in January 2019. © National Trust/Sam Milling


to share their images and sel�es. It was interesting for us to observe that most comments from visitors who were aghast at the artistic interventions came from older people on hand-written comment cards, whereas the most joyful comments came from young women in the 16–34 age bracket who posted them on social media, with some posts engaging over 20,000 people.

Adam Turkington of Seedhead Arts, speaking at the Trust’s Experiences conference in February 2019, said that the Trust should aim to ‘knock visitors o� their expectational axis’, and the project has de�nitely given the property team the con�dence to be brave, take risks and try out ideas as temporary interventions.8 Scary, yes, but as Claire Vincent, Volunteering and Participation Coordinator, said, ‘We mustn’t start by apologising for the changes, we need to present them in a positive way and be unashamed about the bene�ts’. We have needed to learn to be unapologetic about the changes and not pre-suppose that volunteers will hate everything we introduce. A good example of this was the artists’ workshop that E.J. and Patrick led for volunteers which helped to shift opinions. Artist tours were also e�ective in engaging community groups, such as Tunbridge Wells Mental Health group, as this quote from a user demonstrates: ‘I am so pleased that I took the step to come, I have Asperger’s and going on the outing to Chartwell and having so much fun will make it easier for me to go on another outing and really enjoy it.’

Visitor �gures for January/February 2019 were considerably better than in previous years, which can in part be attributed to the exhibition.9 The challenge now is in how to blend the bold with the reassuring so that we attract new audiences without alienating our existing audiences.

Watch this space...

With younger people becoming more actively engaged in politicised debates about the environment, cultural identity and mental health, and with the release of television drama The Crown and �lms such as The Darkest Hour, there is huge potential to tap into popular culture and current conversations to show that Churchill and Chartwell can be and are relevant in the twenty-�rst century.10

The team are now working on ‘Art at

� running training days for teachers, o�ering heritage trainee and student placements and a new summer work experience programme.

� introducing a model of �exible volunteering.

Funds have also been used to acquire items for the collection including medals, 915 inscribed books and Churchill’s Nobel Prize for Literature.7 These items have opened up huge opportunities for us to engage visitors with compelling stories about Churchill and Chartwell.

The project has not been without challenges, and as change programmes often demonstrate, there has been occasional resistance to new ideas from some quarters. One of the most controversial interventions has been a contemporary art trail devised by the artists, fashion historian E.J. Scott and sculptor Patrick Bullock.

The project team were keen to see if they could appeal to younger, culturally aware and artistically inclined visitors through a bold interpretation of Churchill that shone a light on him as an animal lover, a family man and as someone who stru�led with his own mental health. Some of our traditional audiences baulked at the enormous sculptural head of Churchill on the Pink Terrace, but in equal measure we have attracted a more diverse and digitally savvy audience through a pop-up Instagram account where visitors were encouraged

Visitor Experience Consultant and Volunteer Development Consultant.

It has also provided a budget for a multitude of projects to engage with younger audiences and to forge better relationships with our local community, including:

� building a new treehouse in the woods inspired by one that Churchill built for his children.

� presenting a contemporary-style exhibition, ‘Churchill in 50 objects’, addressing the controversial topic of Churchill and racism.

� creating a replica handling collection for community groups.

� using timed house tickets as a mode of interpretation, telling stories about the guests who visited Chartwell.

� introducing a family guide to the house, including training for stewards in how to engage with families.

� ‘Making Visits Meaningful’ training for volunteers and sta� to raise awareness about unconscious bias and to improve our emotional engagement scores from visitors, through the power of sharing stories.

� delivering workshops in schools and developing a public-speaking competition for students from state secondary schools.

Patrick Bullock with one of the installation pieces that formed part of the Contemporary Art Trail. This was an interactive piece for visitors to have their photo taken whilst pretending to be Churchill giving the victory sign. © National Trust/Sam Milling


4. Previously known as the Heritage Lottery Fund, the organisation relaunched in early 2019 as the National Lottery Heritage Fund: www.heritagefund.org.uk/ accessed 20 May 2019.

5. People born between 1961 and 1981 are known as ‘Generation X’. The term was popularised by Doug Coupland, author of the book Generation X, published in 1991.

6. The Churchill’s Chartwell project runs until spring 2020. It has received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Royal Oak Foundation, Wolfson Foundation, Lindbury Trust, Wolfson Gar�eld Weston Foundation, David Webster Trust, Stevenson family, Constance Travis, National Trust centres and associations, community groups, private donors and also raises money onsite through donation boxes, ra¸e tickets and the bookshop.

7. Many people do not realise that Churchill was awarded a Nobel Prize, and not for peace as one might expect, but for literature, in recognition of his great work as a writer and for his oratorical talents.

8. Seedhead Arts is a contemporary arts company based in Northern Ireland: www.seedheadarts.com/ accessed 20 May 2019.

9. Visitor �gures for January and February combined were 14,834 in 2017; 17,713 in 2018; and 23,159 in 2019.

10. This website shows that the National Trust is more popular among Generation X than among other age groups: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/explore/not-for-pro�t/National_Trust accessed 29 May 2019.

to give visitors an opportunity to feel what it was like to work for Churchill. The rooms will have oral history recordings of Churchill’s secretaries, which we’re hoping can be imaginatively relayed, perhaps via an old telephone.

None of this is easy, it is new and bold, scary and exciting. We have hit set-backs along the way, but thanks to a great team of volunteers and sta�, we keep going and keep working towards our goal, because we believe in the value of relevance and the importance of making meaningful connections with people.

In words of Nina Simon: ‘I believe relevance unlocks new ways to build deep connections with people who don’t immediately self-identify with our work. I believe relevance is the key to a locked room where meaning lives. We just have to �nd the right keys, the right doors, and the humility and courage to open them’.

References1. The Art of Relevance is available to read freely

online at: www.artofrelevance.org/ accessed 29 May 2019.

2. Hughenden was the home of the British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hughenden accessed 20 May 2019.

3. Multi-hyphenated careers are a growing trend and apply to people with two or more concurrent careers, who have a ‘hyphenated’ professional identity, e.g. ‘conservator-gardener’.

Chartwell’, an outdoor exhibition celebrating Churchill’s paintings, which ties into Trust-wide themes of health and well-being, and explains Churchill’s particular relationship to art and how he used painting to cope with the pressures of his position. Art at Chartwell will open next year from Saturday 11 January to Sunday 23 February 2020.

This year and next will also see the introduction of new digital interpretation for the property to include:

� digital studio painting guide, giving a fresh look to Churchill’s art works.

� interactive touch-screen wall in Churchill’s Studio for visitors to �nd out about how, what, where and why he painted.

� digitised version of the Visitors Book so people can �nd out more about the illustrious people, such as Charlie Chaplin and T.E. Lawrence (‘Lawrence of Arabia’), who stayed at Chartwell.

� introductory video in the Visitor Centre and a �lm introducing the Churchill family.

� audio garden guide bringing the gardens to life through stories and oral history recordings.

� in 2020, for the �rst time ever, the property will open up the doors of the Secretaries’ O®ce and a family room,

Beatrice Rapley, Project Manager, in Winston Churchill’s Studio at Chartwell, planning for ‘Art at Chartwell’. © National Trust/Sam Milling


Stowe. We aim to broaden our audiences, to be a green lung that improves wellbeing and a cultural destination for the growing urban population within the wider community. With over 100,000 new homes due to be built in this area over the next 20 years, access to this beautiful outdoor space will become more important than ever.

The ways in which we are embedding co-creation

Stowe will become a cultural destination where everyone feels welcome. The vast garden will o�er a strong connection with the outdoors and the universal themes in its design will spark imagination, ignite creativity and provoke thought, promoting health and wellbeing and a sense of belonging for current and new audiences.

Stowe’s Transformation Vision

We are striving to achieve Stowe’s vision by developing and testing di�erent forms

Stowe’s Transformation project is testing new ways of engaging our audiences and our communities. During its

feasibility stage the Transformation project uncovered key information about Stowe’s visitors as well its surrounding communities. This information shaped the project’s vision and informed plans for the �rst delivery phase, which embeds audience participation in the creation of experience.

We know from audience research that many visitors to Stowe have a good day out but don’t feel engaged; a visitor focus group told researchers that they want to understand the meanings behind Stowe’s design and why it is signi�cant. The Transformation project will reveal these hidden narratives at Stowe. We will develop core interpretation to appeal to the four largest ‘Days Out’ segments and will support new audience engagement through creative programming.

We also know from research on surrounding urban areas that some communities are under-represented at

Transformation: co-creating experiences at StoweMichael Lovibond, Creative Project Manager, and the Transformation Project Team, Stowe, Buckinghamshire

of participation among a wide variety of stakeholders, from the existing sta� and volunteer team through to new and under-represented groups. Participation is being built into the planning and delivery of project activity, pushing the boundaries of traditional volunteering to become more co-creative and to o�er opportunities across the participation spectrum.

1. Crowdsourcing

By listening to our audiences throughout our planning processes, we can create relevant programmes. Stowe’s 2018 programme, ‘Aren’t we worthy?’ was sparked by a visitor’s comment about the Temple of British Worthies which features 15 men and one woman. This presented an opportunity to respond to the thoughts of visitors in an

Visitors outside the Temple of Concord and Victory at Stowe. © National Trust Images/ John Millar


important year for women’s equality. The programme celebrated the achievements of modern and historic women who were selected through a process that opened programme decision-making to visitors, local groups and volunteers.

This year Stowe is building a sensory map of the landscape. The map records sensory ‘moments’ in the landscape, capturing contributions from the whole Stowe team as well as visitors and families living with autism. More responses will be added throughout the year and the map will form a resource for creating new experiences, starting with further work with and for our autism communities.

2. Collaborating with expert partners

Stowe’s ambition is to cater for a wide demographic and to meet wellbeing needs in its locality, and the team have started to develop partnerships to realise this ambition. Strategic guidelines were set out for selecting partners; we aim to partner with those who can help us to:

� access skills

� connect with audiences that are under-represented at Stowe

� reach people living in urban centres within a 45-minute drive

� explore innovative funding opportunities

Voting boxes for visitors to choose a new ‘worthy’ as part of the ‘Aren’t we worthy?’ programme at Stowe. © National Trust

An exhibit that represents the achievements of Marie Stopes who was selected through public vote. © National Trust


idyll to produce their own work and leading wellbeing-based workshops with visitors, mental health groups and students attending urban secondary schools. The poet will use outputs from the workshops, as well as their own work, to shape led and self-led walks of the valley that will inspire creativity and provide escape and relaxation for Stowe’s visitors.

4. Engaging new volunteers

We want to take people on a volunteering journey in our places, and this can often start before they become formal volunteers. Stowe is seeking to provide new ways to participate, that support people in building a sustained connection to the place. Opportunities are being created to cater for di�erent needs and interests, appealing to a broader demographic. Some of them are already being delivered, including one-o� outdoor tasks such as bulb- or tree-planting and supported sessions in the Farmhouse Garden for people with particular care needs, such as those associated with dementia.

Career development opportunities such as internships are also being created. One example is our work earlier this year with Prestige Collaborations, a project joining heritage partners with Further Education colleges to provide students with sector-based experience. Working with the City of Oxford College, we gave dance students a creative brief to �t with their curriculum and invited them to visit the site for an inspiration day. In return, they choreographed an interpretive dance and performed it onsite. The project allowed the young people to understand more about Stowe, build a personal connection to the place and demonstrate this through their creative medium.

The Stowe team will be continuing to test the boundaries, evaluate and build on what they learn, and share their experience with other Trust teams who might bene�t from insights the team has gained. You can keep up to date with the project via the Transformation newsletters; do email me to be added to their mailing list. Alternatively please feel free to contact the team to �nd out more about any of the programmes mentioned in this article.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the other members of the Stowe Transformation Project team for their hard work, not least on this article: Rebecca Sherri�, Anne French and Louisa Hood.

to ensure it engages the bene�ciaries of their organisations.

3. Working with socially engaged artists

By collaborating with socially engaged creative practitioners, the team is able to draw on specialist creative knowledge and expertise, improve programme quality and reach new audiences. This year a poet is supporting new experiences in the Grecian Valley, drawing on this pastoral

This strate� has guided memoranda of understanding with local arts, heritage and support organisations.

The team has also created a contact list of representatives from local organisations who can provide ad-hoc advice. Most recently, representatives contributed to early plans for Stowe’s 2020 Water Art programme. One of the themes of the programme is wellbeing so specialists from local Mind services, water-related organisations and local heritage sites were invited to participate in a concept development day. They will help to develop a creative brief for the programme

An artwork by Eve, a charity that provides a family refuge in Northampton, to celebrate the achievements of Mary Singh who works with families experiencing domestic abuse. © National Trust

College Dance students performed their interpretive dance on site at Stowe. © National Trust Images/Michael V. Greenway


and entering the house. Creating positive reasons for more people to want to cross this line had obvious �nancial incentives for a site with few other sources of regular income and a major conservation backlog.

Nostell also wanted to o�er a better experience for people venturing into a house that is packed with often dense layers of content. For example, an extremely rare 1717 John Harrison clock in the Billiard Room was physically overlooked and intellectually obscure for the majority of visitors. Placing the clock into a dedicated space, interpreting it and wrapping around an imaginative and

Open house: creating exhibitions in historic housesMatthew Constantine, Curator, North

What is an exhibition? In the context of a museum, gallery or historic setting, it usually means a

temporary display of words, images, objects and/or artworks around a story or theme and is distinct from ‘permanent’ interpretation or displays.

At their most basic, exhibitions create fresh reasons for a visit to the host site and can become a major promotional tool for properties operating within a crowded leisure marketplace where competition is �erce and audience expectations of what they can expect have changed. They can also allow new light to be shed on stories, ideas and things that might be particularly topical or otherwise obscure and can provide a di�erent experience for visitors, build fresh audiences and generate original research.

Many of our places have hosted or created their own exhibitions for many years, but the possibilities they can o�er are attracting a new level of interest as the National Trust continues to strive for both a broader and a deeper appeal. This article looks in particular at the recent experiences of two Yorkshire properties: Beningbrough near York and Nostell near Wake�eld. Both teams identi�ed the creation of regular exhibitions as a key tactic, but delivery has presented signi�cant challenges and required major changes in the way the respective teams manage their spaces and resources.

So, what are the main lessons learned?

Motivation – are we sure it is worth it?

Putting together exhibitions takes signi�cant time, skills and money to plan and deliver – a few months later and it is all down again. Given all the other pressures that teams face, committing to an exhibition, let alone a programme of them, needs to become a core activity with clear objectives and measurable outcomes. It is worth noting that many museums have actually reduced the number of exhibitions they host in recent years, redirecting precious resources to improving the quality of their permanent o�ers and infrastructure.

Nostell had identi�ed that, despite growing numbers to its parkland, fewer than 25% were crossing the pay barrier

actively promoted programme brought this star item into greater focus and presented it in a far more accessible way. It also created the beginning of a new layer of interpretation that could be built up year on year. Two years in and visits to the house have leapt by over 40%.

Beningbrough has been part traditional country house and part an outstation of the National Portrait Gallery since 1979, but in the crowded leisure market of York and North Yorkshire, it knew it needed to shake up its o�er in order to stand out. Alongside a decade-long transformation of the gardens,

John Harrison is notable for having solved the ‘longitude problem’, saving the lives of many seafarers. Easily overlooked, the movement of this 1717 clock is one of only three by Harrison known to survive. Born at Nostell, he was the son of the estate carpenter; the movement of this rare, early clock is made of wood. © National Trust/Robert Thrift


Commitment also means delivering scale and quality. Audiences used to seeing exhibitions in other venues are rarely satis�ed with a small side room or laminate sheets, especially if they have paid for the privilege.

Nostell has managed this by commissioning professionally produced interpretation and artistic interventions and distributing these around the house. Beningbrough’s exhibitions have grown over three years, both in number of works and space occupied; this year is the �rst that no criticism has been received about the scale. For both, signi�cant investment was needed to raise the quality of the infrastructure and presentation to modern museum or gallery standard. This ranged from how objects were presented – cases, plinths, seating, lighting and hanging systems – to the enhancement of interpretation – the use of �lm, digital technolo� and quality printed material.

Pacing – it’s a marathon, not a sprint

Once the exhibition treadmill has begun, how will momentum be sustained? Can we keep presenting ‘content’ that will maintain and grow an audience?

On the one hand, this means �nding exhibition subjects and methods of communication that are reasonably consistent and work for the non-specialist audience the sites wish to attract. Just as a radio station known for its accessible pop would have listeners leaping for the dial if it suddenly �lled an hour with Norwegian death metal, we need to be careful to take

to invest in, amongst other resources, a project curator to work with an existing house manager role. For Beningbrough, a part-time visitor experience role has been reshaped into a pioneering (for the Trust at least) higher grade programming and exhibition manager post (shared with another site) to drive the programme at a critical stage.

It is also important to recognise that creating and delivering an exhibition programme means knock-on impacts for a range of people – from those caring for collections and interiors, to regional registrars and conservators, marketing and communications, visitor services and volunteers. Creating a process that brings ‘buy-in’ and time from all these parties requires pledging time and ener� early on. For Nostell and Beningbrough, the creation of boards and teams made up of representatives from all these roles has been key.

inside the house the team are building a broader audience by augmenting the rather static showing of serried men in wigs in favour of a changing programme of more populist-attuned themed art exhibitions, supported by expanding opportunities for visitors to engage with art, creativity and history. These exhibitions may not necessarily prompt a visit alone, but they are deepening and improving the quality of the overall visitor experience and changing the Beningbrough brand.

For both, the motivation for creating a changing programme was clear and chimed with their Spirits of Place. In each case, it was also implemented only after careful thought about whether an exhibition was really needed. What is the intended legacy? Layering up interpretation, developing new community links or knowledge, building a new audience base? Is there a better way of investing the time and money that could leave these legacies?

Commit – if you are going to do it, do it properly

Having identi�ed the bene�ts, delivering an impactful and sustained exhibition programme meant commitment. In part, this required longer term planning, and both Nostell and Beningbrough have had to spend time mapping out their programme two or three years in advance.

Commitment also meant investing in people. Nostell has reorganised its structure

Portraits of Yorkshire at Beningbrough borrowed from a range of organisations and individuals. © National Trust Images/Paul Harris

The current exhibition at Beningbrough also included sculptures by Yorkshire-born artists such as Barbara Hepworth. © National Trust/ Paul Harris


Managing the space – where will your exhibition go?

Exhibitions need space that can be used �exibly, show o� displays to their best and be accessible to large numbers – often a major ask in a Trust historic house. Beningbrough lacks spaces that would deliver the impact needed – there is little point designating a side room for exhibitions if it is too small, too far o� the main visitor route or impossible to physically access for some visitors. However, the relative lack of indigenous content has given the team room to manoeuvre. Inspired by their Spirit of Place as ‘a place of changing fortunes and reinvention’, Beningbrough took the decision to rededicate the core of the �rst �oor from recreated historic interior to a coherent gallery in order to create the space needed.

Nostell’s approach mixes newly created exhibition spaces on the ground �oor with imaginative interpretative interventions on the (state) �oor above. This combination helps frame the visit and leads people to follow a coherent and focused story as they move around the rest of their visit. Not without its critics, the decision to make sometimes signi�cant interventions into previously ‘sacred’ state room spaces was a carefully considered judgement based upon analysis that showed most visitors stru�led to engage without help.

In both places, this decision to use historic interiors continues to generate a range of practical challenges, including working out ways to hang paintings without damaging original walls and panelling, bringing in power and light, understanding what weight �oors can take and where to put displaced collection items.

our core audience with us. If Beningbrough becomes the place to go for art exhibitions that are interesting and accessible, would the same audience follow a lurch into a season of challenging performance art? Equally, while a hired-in exhibition of wildlife photographs might provide a short-term boost to Nostell, would it cloud and confuse the site’s Spirit of Place which celebrates craftmanship and creativity? That is not to say that each site needs a blueprint for repetition: while everyone enjoys comfortable familiarity, most consumers also value variety, surprise and occasional challenge in their cultural experiences; the trick is to build a relationship with an audience so that they will trust you as somewhere always worth coming back to.

Even if the ideas are forthcoming, a key element of sustainability in exhibition programming is �nding a balance between generating ‘in-house’ and bringing in ‘o� the shelf’. Most museums and galleries have the advantage of being able to base at least part of their exhibition programmes around their own holdings. For Nostell, with collections of signi�cant depth and quality, this is easily achieved, augmented with targeted loans from, for example, the associated archive now deposited at the local record o®ce. By contrast, Beningbrough’s lack of collections means it will constantly need to borrow almost all it shows, necessitating building up strong networks with institutions and individuals. This year’s Portraits of Yorkshire people-themed show, for example, required loans of works from a national gallery, Arts Council England, a local authority trust and a private photographer. Each of these take time to negotiate and generate individual requirements and costs around transport, security, environmental control and copyright.

In this context, working with individuals or institutions who can o�er exhibitions that are more or less ‘pre-packaged’ has great advantages in terms of saving valuable time and resources; although, of course, it still requires signi�cant investment in the time to research and make connections, not to mention the likely (and often very high) hire fees.

With such demands, it is therefore important that budgets are constantly realigned to sustain momentum. Moving from one-o� art projects to ‘business as usual’ programming is a particular challenge for Nostell, whose programme was kick-started by signi�cant grant funding. As a result, priority was given to spending on �exible and high-quality gallery space and infrastructure that could continue to be used relatively easily when project-based posts and funding came to an end.

As part of the 300th anniversary commemorations of Thomas Chippendale’s birth, and re�ecting its Spirit of Place and links to craftsmanship, Nostell included

an art commission this year from artist Giles Round inspired by the hand-marbled paper supplied by Chippendale to Nostell. © National Trust Images/Andrew Wade

Move, teach and inspire – don’t be boring!

The exhibition programming in these historic houses needed to work for a broad audience and not just be a preserve of specialist interest. This meant thinking carefully about subjects and themes, �nding an angle and then delivering the brief with a variety of interpretative techniques.

For Nostell, an anniversary exhibition about Chippendale was an opportunity not simply to present a chronolo� or focus on technical details, but to show o� objects of particular signi�cance to the house and use them to explore ideas around craft, taste, class, entrepreneurship and empire in the mid-eighteenth century, opening up wider worlds and values. This was complemented by contemporary art commissions which created striking new experiences and added further elements of entertainment, creativity and thinking.

Beningbrough’s recent portrait exhibitions have moved away from the limitations of its immediate history to show portraits of well-known contemporary as well as historic �gures. These have been shown in a structure that encourages conversations around subjects as diverse as the representation of women in culture and Yorkshire stereotypes.

In conclusion, the Nostell and Beningbrough exhibition programmes have, and continue to be, signi�cant undertakings. They have stretched teams and budgets and required new ways of managing spaces, but have delivered the bene�ts they need at this point in their respective evolutions.


‘My �rst visit to Petworth left me wondering why I had never been there before, particularly as a paid-up member of the National Trust. If you like visiting the major art galleries in London, you should de�nitely give this a go because the art was phenomenal.’

Comment posted on TripAdvisor during ‘Turner and the Age of British

Watercolour’ (2017)

When I joined the team at Petworth as House and Collections Manager in 2009, I spent much of my �rst

two years de-installing paintings to send to other organisations’ exhibitions, rehanging our own collection to cover the gaps and acting as a courier to accompany our loans. Having previously worked as a curator at Tate Britain and Manchester Art Gallery, it

New audiences for old art: winter exhibitions at Petworth, 2013–19Andrew Loukes, House and Collections Manager, Petworth, West Sussex

William Blake in Sussex, exhibition room, Petworth 2018. © National Trust/Scott Ramsey

Fig.1 Table showing income and expenditure for Petworth’s winter exhibitions, 2013–18.


the property as limited capacity meant they could not support it with their time. While the upgrades to the room were being undertaken in 2011 and 2012, therefore, I researched the subject, applied to lenders, liaised with ACE for Government Indemnity, sourced the required products and services (such as additional display cases and technicians to install the show), wrote the interpretation – including a small exhibition guide – and designed the installation. The exhibition, featuring loans from Tate, the V&A, the National Galleries of Scotland and Wales and several other major public and private lenders, ran from 12 January to 13 March 2013.

Beyond the initial upgrades to the room, the costs of mounting an exhibition with numerous loans can be high (see Fig.1 for a graph showing income and expenditure for exhibitions at Petworth 2013–18). A business case needed to be made, therefore, to the General Manager, but as neither Petworth nor any other Trust property had attempted this type of exhibition before, there was always going to be an element of �nancial risk. Costs were to be recovered by charging

be installed securely and wall repairs to be made easily, along with additional physical and technical security upgrades. We also introduced a stand-alone monitoring and control system to meet required environmental conditions in consultation with the Trust’s Preventive Conservation Adviser.

The total cost of around £14,000 was met by a ring-fenced legacy left over from the highly successful exhibition ‘Turner at Petworth’, a partnership with Tate which had been integrated into the mansion’s show rooms during the main season in 2002. A condition of spending this money was that the outcome should be related to the subject of that exhibition – the painter J.M.W. Turner. Petworth’s �rst temporary exhibition in its newly refurbished exhibition room was, therefore, ‘Turner’s Sussex’, a project which celebrated the artist’s broader relationship with the county beyond Petworth.

Creating a success story

From the start, this initiative was enthusiastically received by the Trust’s Pictures and Sculpture Curator, the Regional Curator and the Lead Registrar, with the caveat that it must be fully delivered by

struck me as uneven that we did not have our own exhibitions programme at the property and were not therefore in a position to become regular borrowers as well as lenders.

Petworth already bene�ted from an exhibition room in its Servants’ Quarters building, which had been used for about 10 years to mount changing shows of local artists’ work and occasional displays focused on aspects of the property, such as a ‘Servants at Petworth’ exhibition in 2010. The room, however, was not up to the standard demanded by major lenders and UK Government Indemnity, the scheme administered by Arts Council England (ACE) which enables approved borrowers to borrow works of art and other objects without having to rely on prohibitively expensive commercial insurance.

In considering the required upgrades, I consulted with potential lenders (such as Tate) and ACE’s National Security Adviser, who advises on the suitability of venues to display loans covered by the Government Indemnity scheme. Having drawn up a list of necessary works, I worked with our Building Surveyor to commission the recommended improvements to the exhibition room, including lining the plaster walls with MDF, which would allow wall-mounted exhibits to

Elizabeth Ilive – Countess of Egremont, exhibition in North Gallery during William Blake in Sussex, Petworth 2018. © National Trust/Scott Ramsey


the Blake show which was commissioned by the Trust’s Specialist Publications and supported by a grant from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. Several of the exhibitions have attracted wider sponsorship, particularly following the launch of our package of supporter o�ers in 2016. Each exhibition has also been supported by a bespoke range of products commissioned by our Retail Manager, from postcards to cushions, mugs, fridge magnets and tea towels. The secondary income from both retail and catering during winter exhibitions has been a further important dimension to their contribution (Fig 2).

Welcome accolades

We were delighted to win the Trust’s Bringing Places to Life award for Exhibitions and Programming in 2014 for Turner’s Sussex, and in 2019 to have been chosen as the venue for the centrally curated exhibition ‘Prized Possessions – Dutch Paintings from National Trust Houses’, which had previously been shown at the Holburne Museum in Bath and the Mauritshuis in The Hague. Beyond internal recognition, the exhibitions have all received positive critical attention in the national media, thanks to the support of property, regional and national marketing colleagues. William Blake in Sussex, for example, came second in the Guardian exhibitions of the year for 2018, beaten only by Tate Modern’s Late Picasso. More importantly, the exhibitions have brought over 78,000 additional visitors to Petworth, many of whom – as in the example at the beginning of this article – would never otherwise have come.

Along with exploring related themes, the shows have sought to re-present selected objects from our collection in two ways: �rst, by temporarily relocating works of art normally seen in our historic spaces into our exhibition room, where they can be spot-lit and hung at an optimum height for viewing, alongside loans which place them in a di�erent context and broaden our understanding of them. Secondly, each exhibition has also included selected show rooms in the main house, either featuring redisplayed collections to further highlight a given subject or introducing interventions by contemporary artists. More pragmatically, using selected rooms in the mansion also adds to the o�er, both in terms of value for money and by introducing the show rooms to those not familiar with Petworth. The 2018 exhibition ‘William Blake in Sussex’, for example, saw part of our North Gallery redisplayed to showcase the hitherto under-celebrated signi�cance of Petworth’s Countess of Egremont, an important patron of Blake. At the same time our Red Room was temporarily transformed into a parallel, immersive exhibition featuring drawings by the author Philip Pullman, President of the Blake Society, accompanied by a ceiling-projection of the Northern Lights.

All of the exhibitions have provided an opportunity to feature additional loans from the private collection at Petworth – both in the exhibition space and in the main house – including works of art and other objects which are never normally seen by the public but are central to the understanding of our stories. More generally, new research and ideas on aspects of our collections have been captured in a series of accompanying publications, including a catalogue for

an entry fee payable by all visitors, including Trust members. In the event, we got very little negative feedback on charging for entry, and visitors continue to recognise the winter exhibitions as substantially di�erent from our core o�er, in a similar way to audiences for temporary exhibitions at galleries and museums. Moreover, the income from ticket sales more than covered costs, as it has for all our subsequent shows: Turner’s Sussex generated a net pro�t from ticket sales of £38,000, while the total pro�t for all exhibitions at Petworth up to March 2019 amounts to £480,000. Turner’s Sussex opened for �ve days a week and tickets cost £10; all our subsequent exhibitions have opened for seven days a week with tickets at £12.

Taking our audience with us

The decision to hold the exhibitions in the winter was driven by two factors: �rst, while we were not yet at 363-day opening in 2011, we were aware it was around the corner and saw winter exhibitions as a move towards extended opening without compromising the annual conservation deep-clean of the house and its collections. Secondly, as the model had not yet been tested, we did not want to run the risk of being overrun with visitors in the busier months of the year. From the beginning, the exhibitions have been marketed towards advance ticket sales with sta�ered entry, sold via the Trust’s Box O®ce, with a limited number of tickets available for sale on the day.

To date, all the winter exhibitions have been �rmly linked to both Petworth’s Spirit of Place and its permanent collection.

Fig. 2 Table showing secondary spend during Petworth’s winter exhibitions, 2013–18.


Arts and Crafts movement which continue to fascinate and impress visitors from across the world.

Perceptions and patterns

In 2016 we opened up the previously closed servants’ wing to the public. Having been an o®ce space for a long period with little original furniture, we asked our visitors what we should do with this new space. It was during this consultation that we discovered that whilst our visitors admired the original Morris patterns, many people didn’t know what the Arts and Crafts movement was and, more worryingly, they left Standen none the wiser.

The shocking realisation that we had failed to share the rich and fascinating stories of Arts and Crafts with our visitors, nor the fact that the movement was the product of a social reaction with themes relevant to us today, led us to re-evaluate the way we use programming to engage with our audience. Following workshops with our sta� and volunteer community, we set a three-year strategic programme through which we would tell the di�ering stories of the Arts and Crafts movement, and this is how Morris & Co. Inspired by Nature was born.

Honing our focus

The data held on the Trust’s Management Dashboard and Supporter Intelligence con�rmed that we had a broad audience evenly spread among those who had a real passion for Arts and Crafts, alongside those who simply wanted to discover the story behind the beautiful designs found in the house. With such a wide audience with di�ering needs, and a relatively small gallery space, it was clear that Morris & Co. Inspired by Nature would have to be more than simply an exhibition in the house.

Through showcasing the treasures of our collection alongside loans from other

Through creating high-quality experiences that ‘Move, Teach and Inspire’, we can achieve our ambition

to become living culture centres, attracting new audiences and developing deeper connections with our loyal visitors. But how to fund ambitious programmes is a hot topic across the Visitor Experience community. The team at Standen discovered that ‘fortune favours the brave’ when they looked to corporate sponsorship when planning ‘Morris & Co. Inspired by Nature’.

Inspired by Nature, crafted by ambitionRichard Grudzinski, Visitor Experience Manager, Standen, West Sussex

James and Margaret Beale chose an idyllic location with views across the Sussex countryside for their rural retreat. Designed by Philip Webb, the house is one of the �nest examples of Arts and Crafts architecture. The original Morris & Co. interiors make it a perfect destination to see how the designs of the movement would have been enjoyed in a domestic setting. With the assistance of Arthur and Helen Grogan – the Trust’s �rst custodians of Standen – the collection has grown to include exquisite treasures of the

Above left: A re-creation of the Morris & Co. showroom. © National Trust/Rod Kirkpatrick

Left: Morris & Co. Inspired by Nature exhibition at Standen. © National Trust/Rod Kirkpatrick


Catering, House and Garden teams to make sure that the result was a high-quality, all-encompassing o�er aimed at all audience levels, they became as excited as we were to be involved. From that moment on, they agreed to every reasonable request for funding and materials.

Not having a formal structure to follow in terms of sponsorship at a property level allowed us the freedom to forge meaningful relationships with key contacts at Morris & Co. As well as providing us with funds and materials, enabling us to build and decorate a new exhibition area in the house, it introduced us to its suppliers who also provided their services to us for free. We created a mutually bene�cial partnership, which not only enabled us to realise our ambitions, but also led to vital support from Whole Trust Marketing, giving Standen and Morris & Co. fantastic national exposure.

Morris & Co. Inspired by Nature is now open until 10 November 2019 but we continue to work with the company and are determined to seek out further opportunities in the future. We are also working with our regional sponsorship colleagues on a standard process and guidance for properties to help others set up sponsorship deals that will allow them to be more ambitious with creating experiences that move, teach and inspire.

So what’s next? In line with our strate� of highlighting how the movement is relevant to today’s audiences, the team are now working on a programme exploring how the Arts and Crafts contribute to wellbeing and are used to help those su�ering with poor mental health.

gained at a property level. Undeterred, we created a sponsorship pack with our vision of the programme, what we wanted from our sponsors and what we could o�er in return. After some perseverance we made contact with Morris & Co.’s Public Relations Manager who, on seeing the bene�ts to being associated with this programme, was keen to be involved.

There then followed a frustrating period when, while both Morris & Co. and ourselves were agreed on the sponsorship, because corporate sponsorship is more typically arranged at a national level, there was no internal process in place to make it possible. Through consulting with colleagues in di�erent departments at both regional and national level, we were eventually able to set up our contracts and a fruitful partnership was created.

Working together

Both parties had to be clear about the terms of the agreement, and realistic and transparent as to what we could o�er each other in terms of marketing, exposure and use of branding. However, there were fewer obstacles than initially feared which left us wondering why we had not tried this before.

We ended up gaining almost double the original sum of money that we requested. The key to this was inviting Morris & Co.’s entire Creative and Publicity team to Standen to meet our Property Programming team. When they saw how joined-up the team was, and how our curator was working together with Visitor Experience, Retail,

properties and institutions, we focused on telling the story of how the early artists of Morris & Co. used nature themes as a reaction against a Victorian Britain which they believed had lost its love of the natural world. Using creative and innovative technolo� to immerse the visitor in the historical context in which the artists were working, the experience provided would challenge perceptions of the Arts and Crafts movement, enabling visitors to see its relevance to their lives today.

The �rst challenge was how we were going to pay for this: in order to achieve a high-quality programme, which included creating a new exhibition space within the house as well as programme costs, we needed to raise almost £50,000 which is a large sum for a small property.

Thinking big

From the initial planning it was recognised that there were strong commercial opportunities with Morris & Co. Inspired by Nature. A planned exhibition pop-up shop bene�ting from projected increases in visitor numbers facilitated a curatorial budget from the property. However, even with a grant from the Whole Trust Flagship Programming Fund, it was clear that additional funding would be required to achieve our vision.

With the Morris & Co. name in the title, it made sense to ask the company if it would like to sponsor the programme at Standen. Although there is some Trust guidance relating to national sponsorships, there is very little on how this can be

Interactive table in the Living Artist’s Studio. © National Trust/Rod Kirkpatrick

Views 23 Open to exploration

Dy�ryn House is a Grade ll* listed Victorian mansion surrounded by Grade I listed Edwardian gardens. It

is nestled in a valley from which it gets its name, Dy�ryn being Welsh for ‘valley’.

Built by coal and shipping magnate John Cory in 1893, and designed in a Second French Empire style, it has had a chequered time since his daughter and the last resident, Florence Cory, died in 1937. It was a police training centre during the Second World War, then a training and conference centre before a failed attempt to turn it into a hotel in the late 1990s.

After the hotel project collapsed, the house was closed up for almost 20 years, and the carved wooden statues and Billiard Room panelling became coated with a thick layer of dust. Pigeons nested in the empty rooms in the servants’ wing on the second �oor, rainwater goods over�owed and leaked into some rooms, and dry rot emerged on the �rst �oor and servants’ staircase, requiring the latter to be partially replaced in recent years.

In 2012, whilst still under council ownership, a Heritage Lottery Fund award successfully restored some of the principal �oors and the house reopened to the public at Easter 2013 under the management of the National Trust on a 50-year lease.

Derelict rooms and fragile spaces

A glimpse of derelict corridors can be seen through a set of glass doors on the �rst-�oor landing. Missing �oors and holes in the ceiling and walls are a result of the failed hotel project, a sharp disparity with the principal rooms that have been restored, making for an interesting contrast for visitors.

With no electricity or reliable �ooring, the upper rooms aren’t safe to be on the visitor route, so with only 13 out of 50

Creative interpretation in derelict spacesChristina Hanley, House Steward, Dy�ryn House, Vale of Glamorgan

Parts of the house are unsafe and semi-derelict. © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Open to exploration

24 Views Open to exploration

and original interpretation of Dy�ryn’s Spirit of Place.

Students were given sources including Florence’s will, a list of the 1937 collections catalogue, contemporary newspaper clippings and a history of the Edwardian gardens. They visited at the start of the project to sketch features of the house, some picking up on the oriental themes in the gardens such as the dragon bowl fountain and statues, or on the succulents in the Glass House. One student created a pattern based on Florence’s charitable donations from her will, another weaved a pattern featuring piano keys representing Florence’s love of music with �replace tiles from the Great Hall interspersed with a tree blossom motif from the garden.

The sketches were transformed to digital patterns via Photoshop and converted into repeat patterns, experimenting with mirroring and scaling images. Di�erent colourways were altered and selected to create the �nished design. The second-year fashion students were given the challenge

rooms accessible, the derelict areas make up a large portion of the house and come with their own tenants – pigeons, pests and bats – some less welcome than others. This can make managing visitor expectations di®cult; though the mansion looks large on the outside, visitors are able to access fewer than a third of the rooms.

Florence’s bedroom, a large room on the �rst �oor, has south- and east-facing windows over the rockery and southern lawns. Unfortunately, this space has been closed for the last couple of years due to conservation concerns: the �oor joists are weak and movement from walking over the �oor was causing the painted ceiling in the Blue Drawing Room below to crack.

A possible solution to �x this may be a suspended �oor, an expensive process and works would need to be planned carefully so as not to risk the original painted ceiling below. Two doorways allow visitors to look into the room, and although these give good views, it was an uninspiring empty space, and something of an anti-climax at the end of the visitor route. Interpreting this space was di®cult as there could be no access and anything placed in the room would have to be visible or readable from the two doorways.

Even though this room had to remain closed, we felt that it could o�er more in telling Dy�ryn’s story, not just through written interpretation but in a way that was creative and collaborative. Because it was once Florence’s bedroom, we thought the space should be inspired by Florence herself as well as the house and gardens. The adjoining room was being used as a dressing-up room with a perfume-making activity so a continuation of this theme, such as an Edwardian dress display, would work well. Not having a large budget or sta� capacity, we felt that a community engagement element to the project would help make it more inclusive.

Collaborating with fashion and design students

Working with fashion and design students at Cardi� and Vale College (CAVC), we set a brief that was broad, allowing the students to create designs based on the parts of Dy�ryn House, its gardens and Florence’s life which they were drawn to the most.

The Course Co-ordinator, Kerry Cameron, su�ested that the students could design unique repeat patterns and have them printed onto cotton which could be made up into Edwardian dresses. The contrast of pairing modern patterns with traditional Edwardian style resulted in a wholly new

of carefully cutting and stitching the fabric into an authentic Edwardian dress whilst ensuring the intricate patterns were not compromised.

Project evaluation

Printing the patterns onto cotton was an expensive process which meant that the project budget allowed for only �ve �nished pieces. The college contributed half the costs of production with the property contributing the other half, a total of £500 each. All the costs of printing the write-ups and photography were covered by the college as they had access to large printing equipment.

There are two viewing areas for the display as well as a collection of swatches so visitors can get up close to the detailed patterns and feel the fabrics used in the display. The �nished pieces are a contrast of modern patterns and vibrant colours juxtaposed with a traditional Edwardian style

The exhibition; image shows a CAVC student putting together a dress from a print inspired by the gardens. © National Trust/Christina Hanley

The dragon bowl and other oriental features in the garden inspired some of the students’ work. © National Trust Images/John Millar


the derelict nature of some of the rooms and the idea of nature taking over the house, she installed her paper creations in a dressing room on the �rst �oor that has been closed for almost 20 years. The original �oorboards were long ago taken up and one wall has exposed stonework and a feature �replace. The solitary south-facing window allows natural light into a room lacking services and also o�ers views to the Dragon Bowl Canal.

Flowers and vines weave through the gaps in the �oor and across the walls. Visitors are able to view the structure in dual-aspect viewing platforms, similar to Florence’s bedroom. The installation coincides with our popular annual book fair when Danielle hosted workshops on how to make these paper botanical creations.

We continue to explore creative ways and artistic collaborations to breathe life into our empty rooms. Visit our website soon to see what we’re up to now!

captivated by the foreign in�uences that entwined themselves among the traditional Welsh house, particularly the Japanese imagery on the cloisonné vase in the hall, and the dragon bowl fountain in the canal in the garden. I knew I wanted to create a design that embodied that refreshing combination.’

Visitors’ comments have mostly centred around how creative and imaginative the pieces are and admiration for the hard work of the students and the importance of collaboration with young people in education.

Future rooms

This summer we turned another formerly closed room into a more creative space to enhance the visitor route. Artist Dannielle Sullivan works with paper to create botanical-themed installations. Inspired by

and costume design. They certainly breathe life and colour into a previously empty space and have transformed this room.

Working with CAVC meant that we were able to provide these students with an unparalleled opportunity and experience for their future careers, along with working in partnership to tell Dy�ryn’s story in a new and distinctive way. We have put lea�ets on CAVC courses on display to encourage those with an interest in fashion and design to �nd out more. As their lecturer Kerry said: ‘It’s really important that our Level 3 students get involved in these live projects as it actually gives the students an idea of what it’s like to work collaboratively with other organisations. They get an idea of the many di�erent in�uences that can inspire fashion and it’s also important that they get to build links with other organisations.’ Olivia, one of the students, said: ‘When visiting Dy�ryn at the start of the project, I was immediately

‘Without an indigenous collection’: Goddards HouseGuy Newton, Conservation Assistant, Treasurer’s House, York

An unconventional collection

We’re familiar in the National Trust to applying the term ‘indigenous collection’ to items which have a ‘historical link with a property, with an associated person or family … made for a particular place’ (Development Policy for Collections). But the de�nition is peculiar to the Trust which is why it will soon give way to ‘associated collections’, the term more widely understood within the wider heritage sector.

Often forming part of core collecting priorities, the Trust goes to great lengths to acquire associated items, quite literally so in the case of a mahogany sideboard purchased in New York and returned to the London home of the in�uential social commentator and historian Thomas Carlyle. We also strive to retain as many idiosyncratic items and features in our houses as possible – Calke Abbey being a prime example of a high level of surviving associated items from broken chairs to peeling wallpaper.

Associated collection items can help provide historic context for our properties and the people who once worked and lived in them. Unlike objects within a traditional museum, our properties provide the stage

in which these items were once props, helping to connect us with personal stories and memories, and thus enhancing our understanding of interiors and how our properties were once lived in.

If good archives are available, establishing sound provenance can be a relatively straightforward exercise. Without good archives, the task of establishing sound provenance requires in-depth research, thinking outside of the box, consulting with experts and sometimes following a hunch! Between 2014 and 2019 I was lucky enough to discover 45 associated collection items at Goddards House.

Goddards House

A town house with country pretensions, Goddards sits to the south west of the cathedral city of York and was once the family home of the wealthy industrialist Noel Terry of the confectionary-making �rm Terry’s of York. A red brick house, constructed between 1926 and 1927, Goddards was built in an Arts and Crafts style by the architect Walter Brierley, the ‘Lutyens of the North’, whose work was

e�ortlessly complemented by the expansive formal terraced gardens designed by George Dillstone between 1926 and 1935.

Although a family home, Goddards was shaped by Noel Terry’s desire to �ll the house with his burgeoning collection of eighteenth-century furniture and clocks. Alongside Terry’s �ne collection, ordinary and functional pieces serviced the everyday needs of the family and servants. In many middle- and upper-class houses, these pieces were not retained in the same volume as traditional collections and often thrown away or con�ned to storage spaces. They were never intended to survive decades beyond their useful life and certainly not intended to represent a property, individual or family. Where they do survive, they have the potential to provide an insight into the lives of the people who lived and worked at our properties.

Goddards functioned as a middle-class domestic home from 1927 to 1980 when the last residing family member passed away. In 1984 the Trust purchased Goddards for its regional o®ce for Yorkshire, and Terry’s collection went to the York Civic Trust.


New beginnings

1984 saw a new chapter in the life of this building: the former bedrooms and principal rooms soon rang with the sound of typewriters and telephones. It was in these early years that the house was signi�cantly altered to accommodate a modern o®ce. Some of the �rst sta� members remember feeling as if they were intruding: beds were still in place, boots remained by the back door, and the former gardener still lived in the gatehouse. Over the next few years many of the remaining non-collection pieces were reused or disposed of, decorative schemes were covered up or removed, bathrooms dismantled, and �xtures and �ttings boarded up. Despite these changes, Goddards retained a relatively high number of �xtures and �ttings.

In 2012 the decision was made to ‘open… Goddards to the public as a historic house without an indigenous collection’ (Collections Development Areas report, 2017). With Terry’s collection now residing at Fairfax House, the York Civic Trust’s Georgian townhouse museum, Goddards

Above: Goddards, or ‘New House at Dringhouses, York’, by Cyril Farey, 1926. © Borthwick Institute for Archives

Left: The Terry family in the late 1930s: from left to right, Richard, Peter, Noel, Kathleen, Kenneth and Betty © National Trust/Betty Lawrie


Lampshades: an experimental approach

An unexplored store contained 25 small lampshades, too small for normal lamps but the right size for a chandelier or wall bracket. Thanks to the high survival rate of �xtures and �ttings at Goddards, I was able to identify potential candidates. Scanning through archive photos, possible original light �ttings seemed to be the current chandelier and wall brackets in the Drawing and Dining Room, which would require 26 small lampshades. However, the photos did not show the lampshades in su®cient detail to be certain, so I retook the photos to compare their shading and size. The similarities between the old and recreated photos, combined with the age and number of lampshades, were enough to give another likely match. Sadly, the lampshades are too fragile to put back permanently and the design may also be too hazardous as the �tting goes over the bulbs.

Taking a similar approach to other

links to the Terry family or Goddards. The photo archive proved invaluable and was the starting point for the investigation. This was followed up by consultation with furniture and textile experts to establish probable age, using experimental approaches, combing through archived family and sta� interviews, and �nally speaking to surviving family members. With no strong archival evidence, this combination of approaches was essential to establish the likely provenance of the items.

The �rst discovery included a painted chair with splayed legs and cork seat. Consultation with a furniture expert identi�ed it as probably dating from the early twentieth century. A near identical chair appeared in a photo taken in 1984 before the Trust moved in. The �nal approach was to contact Noel and Kathleen Terry’s daughter and former resident of Goddards, Betty Lawrie. Betty, 94, recalled that this was the ‘nursing chair’, reminiscing that ‘Nanny…would feed my baby brother, Richard, with a bottle using that chair’.

was �lled with domestic furnishings brought in from elsewhere, which could be used by visitors, evoking the feel of a middle-class home in the 1930s.

Something remains

Whilst compiling an inventory of its surviving �xtures and �ttings as part of my university thesis, I came across a photo album showing the �rst interior views of the freshly vacated house in February 1984. These photos showed items, or the edge of an item, which had been left behind, from plant pots and lamps to chairs and tables. By this point I knew every room, every surface, including the furniture in each room, and began to recognise some of these pieces still at Goddards. My research into these indigenous items really began in earnest when I started working at Goddards as a Conservation Assistant.

A multifaceted approach was required to establish sound evidence of an item’s

The nursing chair in 1984 (left) and in 2019 (above). © National Trust/Guy Newton


and help our visitors to connect with it. Goddards is without a traditional indigenous collection, but thanks to extensive research carried out on these pieces, we can now say it has its own small if unconventional associated collection.

Acknowledgements

With thanks to Betty Lawrie, her daughter Jean Kuipers, and John Wynn Gri®ths, Conservator, National Trust.

Bibliography Collections Development Areas, Goddards. (National Trust report, 2017; unpublished). Development Policy for Collections. (National Trust policy, 2012; unpublished).Furniture Survey, Goddards. (National Trust survey, 2018; unpublished).Lawrie, B. ‘20th Century Life at Goddards’. (Unpublished, 2012). Interview with Betty Lawrie, née Terry. (Interviewed by Van Wilson for the National Trust, 2012).Jackson, A., The Middle Classes 1900–1950. (Nairn: David St John Thomas, 1991). Newton, G., Goddards: A Biographical Investigation of Walter Brierley’s Final Work and Noel Terry’s Home. (Thesis, University of York, 2014).

Conclusion

These pieces do not necessarily inspire great awe, nor do they show us �ne examples of craftsmanship or art. They are scru�y, used, ordinary pieces that have survived the great changes of the building over the past 35 years. However, they are important reminders of the everyday, useable and used objects, objects that seldom survive. They have revealed long-forgotten memories illuminating signi�cant pieces of social history. These pieces will go on to help inform how we tell the story of Goddards

pieces, I was able to establish the probable provenance of over 45 individual items at Goddards, including: a 1930s child’s bathroom chair, two trolleys from the 1960s bought for the elderly Noel and Kathleen, a pre-war ladder probably used by Kathleen in the Butler’s Pantry to reach the ‘early morning tea set’, a 1930s armchair arm cover from the Drawing Room in a Jacobean revival style, a 1930s servant toilet seat, mid-twentieth-century kitchen curtains, an electric radiator and 1920s vegetable sink plug. Work continues as further pieces are uncovered.

My test image of the Dining Room in 2019, with some of the lampshades back in place. A comparison with the earlier image helped verify that these were the originals. © National Trust/Guy Newton

The Dining Room at Goddards, c.1980. Note the chandelier and lampshades. © Country Life


Charlecote’s terrestrial globe still describes the area as ‘New Holland’ as it had been known since the seventeenth century.

The Charlecote globes were constructed in the traditional way, starting with papier-mâché hemispheres mounted on a wooden frame. After being glued together, each sphere was covered in plaster, and printed paper gores (strips) portraying the map’s image were pasted on. Inevitably the weight wouldn’t be distributed evenly so small packages of lead shot were glued to the inside of each globe to prevent it from slumping. The countries or constellations in

History of globes (Jess Wolverson)

In today’s world, once di®cult tasks such as navigating around our cities, countries or even the world have been made increasingly simpler by the availability of GPS, a recent development in technolo� which most of us have easy access to via smartphones or computers. We can easily forget how challenging this would have been for generations gone by who spent many centuries exploring unknown lands and seas to discover parts of the world never previously seen. Luckily for us, the ancient art of cartography was developed, ensuring these ground-breaking discoveries were recorded in the form of maps and eventually globes, the three-dimensional spherical version. Two main types of globe have been used throughout history: the earlier celestial form, which highlighted prominent constellations, and the later terrestrial form which mapped the world, or at least those parts of it that were known at the time.

For thousands of years, globes have been considered objects of beauty and symbols of power, status and land ownership, and were often given as gifts. The popularity of globes began to spread more widely across the noble classes between the �fteenth and eighteenth centuries as European explorers were commissioned to �nd new trade routes across the seas. With every newly discovered land, such as those found by Christopher Columbus and Captain James Cook, another new version of the terrestrial globe had to be produced to re�ect the most recent geographical �ndings, thus increasing demand. Advances in printing technologies and materials helped to establish the craft of globe-making.

Today, globes present a snapshot of key historical moments as well as a unique insight into the styles and fashions of the time. A wide range of globes spanning over 500 years of history can be found in the world’s museums, private collections and country houses; the earliest surviving example of a terrestrial globe being the ‘Erdapfel’, made in 1492 by Martin Behaim, a German geographer, and now in the German National Museum, Nuremberg. The National Trust has a number of globes within its collections, which date from

Objects of exploration: the Bardin globesJulie Marsden, Conservator, and Jess Wolverson, Senior House Steward, Charlecote Park, Warwickshire

the late sixteenth century (the Molyneaux globe at Petworth), including a few terrestrial/celestial pairings. Charlecote Park is home to a pair of W. & T.M. Bardin globes, dating from around 1807, mounted on Chippendale-style stands. They were made when Napoleon was marching across Europe and Captain Cook’s discoveries were becoming more widely known. Australia hadn’t been fully mapped, nor was it known as such until 1824, and therefore

Terrestrial globe part-way through cleaning. © National Trust/Sylvia Sumira


the form of mythological beasts were then tinted using watercolours and �nally coated with a hard shell of varnish.

Not much is known about the globes’ journey from the maker’s studio in London to Charlecote’s Library. William Bardin (1730–98) had been making globes since around 1780. Within ten years he’d gone into partnership with his son, Thomas Marriott Bardin (1768–1819) and began trading as W. & T. M. Bardin. These 18-inch globes – their most ambitious yet, with previous designs being 9 and 12 inches in diameter – remained in production for half a century after William died in 1798. The Library at Charlecote wasn’t built until the 1830s, some 20 years after the globes were made, and we can only assume that they were either inherited or bought by George Hammond and Mary Elizabeth Lucy to furnish their newly bespoke room.

By 2017 the Bardin globes were in such poor condition that we decided to use the sale of Trust ra¸e tickets at Charlecote and visitor donations to fund the £13,000-worth of remedial repairs needed to stabilise their condition. The globes spent several months with specialist conservator Sylvia Sumira at her studio in London before returning to the Library this year.

Celestial globe showing the dark staining and old �ll repairs. © National Trust/Sylvia Sumira

Terrestrial globe during conservation (surgery!) © National Trust/Sylvia Sumira


thick surface dirt and varnish layers carefully removed from the globes and horizon rings using solvents. This revealed the true condition of the surface beneath, and once old repairs were removed and brown staining was reduced using poultices, the overall appearance of the globes could be reassessed. Losses were �lled with like-for-like materials and loose pieces reattached, followed by the application of a surface coating over globe and horizon ring prior to retouching (painting out) areas of loss and �lls to match the surrounding original. A �nal coat of a varnish was then applied to the whole globe and horizon ring surface. More interventionist treatment was required to stabilise and rejoin the two hemispheres of the terrestrial globe. An ingenious solution of a ‘traction bandage’ held the joint together whilst reinforcing strips were applied internally – a medical idea borrowed to resolve a conservation issue.

The lacquer and tarnish on the brass work was removed before replacement of missing parts and the application of a protective wax layer over the whole. Finally, the stand and castors were cleaned, and new brackets made to support the horizon ring on both globes. Each globe was then reassembled, and adjustments made to ensure that each moved freely. The result of the conservation was very successful in transforming the globes’ appearance which will add to the overall presentation of the Charlecote Library.

There is a rather lovely postscript to all of this: in late June, whilst moving a chest to facilitate our pending heating project, we discovered what I think are the original leather covers for the globes. Their condition is variable (one is in pieces; the other

in both globes, some poorly repaired in the past. One long split along the equator of the terrestrial globe made the whole structure unstable as the two hemispheres moved independently of one another. The lead-shot bags weighting and balancing each globe had split, releasing the contents into the globe interior. Finally, the brass work was dirty and tarnished where patchy lacquer was no longer present.

Each globe took 100 hours over many months (equivalent to around 12½ working days) to conserve, and the same process was followed for both globes. Initially each was dismantled into its component parts and the

Conservation (Julie Marsden)

When the Charlecote globes arrived at Sylvia’s studio, both were in a very poor state. The detailed design on the surface of the globes was obscured by a thick layer of dust and dirt as well as layers of darkened, ageing varnish. Scu� marks and abrasions further marred the surfaces of both globes and stands, and together with surface losses (for instance, on the horizon ring papers) and damaged parts (such as the tip of the terrestrial globe’s North Pole pointer) prevented a true appreciation of these important pieces. There were cracks

One of the recently re-discovered globe covers. Made of damask leather, this is a top half which is missing its ‘skirt’. © National Trust/Julie Marsden

The celestial globe during conservation. © National Trust/Sylvia Sumira


What was the most challenging treatment you have had to undertake on a globe? Petworth’s 1592 terrestrial globe made by Emery Molyneux was a real challenge as it was very dirty and damaged when it came to my studio. It is the only surviving example of the �rst globe to be printed in England.

Have you made any interesting discoveries when conserving a globe?If the damage to a globe allows, it is always interesting to see the internal structure. You may �nd loose lead shot, which has escaped from a bag used to ‘balance’ a globe, causing a tell-tale rattle, or sometimes globes can be lined with old newspapers, lottery tickets or even maps.

What is the best thing about working with globes?It is very satisfying to see a dirty, damaged globe come back to life and be visible again after cleaning and repair.

working in globe conservation, something I knew nothing of at the time, and to my surprise was o�ered the post. Thirty years later, I feel I am still learning.

What equipment do you use to repair a globe? Various brushes and scalpels plus cotton-wool swabs. Laboratory cork rings in di�erent sizes are also very useful for supporting globes out of their stands.

How many globes have you worked on? I have worked on over 600 globes varying in diameter from 1 inch (2.5 cm) to 42 inches (108 cm). The amount of time it takes to conserve each one varies from a few hours to many months. Other National Trust globes I have worked on include a pair of 1795 globes by Dudley Adams at Canons Ashby, a pair of 1800 globes by J. & W. Cary at Sissinghurst and a pair of 1820 globes by Charles Smith & Sons at Kingston Lacy.

relatively intact) – but it is a very exciting discovery as such covers are quite rare. The only other ones I am aware of in the Trust are at Ham House and of an earlier date. My understanding is that such covers would have been commissioned for important/expensive furniture such as globes and were used to protect them from light, dust, etc.

Pro�le of Sylvia Sumira, Globe Conservator

Why did you decide to specialise in the conservation of globes?Following a History of Art degree, I did a two-year post-graduate Paper Conservation course. I then applied for an internship at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich,

Above: Sylvia Sumira in her studio working on the Charlecote globes. © National Trust/Sylvia Sumira

Right: The terrestrial globe post-conservation. © National Trust/Sylvia Sumira


in a boating accident in Mexico just three weeks before the Rev. Engleheart’s death.

Engleheart was celebrated in his own lifetime for his pioneering hybridising work with da�odils, known botanically as the genus Narcissus. He has been dubbed ‘the father of the modern da�odil’ and was recognised by the Royal Horticulture Society in 1900 when he was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour for his ground-breaking work.

He began his work with da�odils at his previous home at Appleshaw in Hampshire. There he had considerable success, not only in producing new hybrids, but also selling them on to nurserymen hungry for new cultivars. There was an eager market for these new, bi�er, brighter, more colourful da�odils, the like of which had not been seen before. Previous generations of growers and gardeners would have only known the da�odil as a smaller, predominantly golden-yellow, mostly trumpet-shaped �ower, much like those growing wild in hedgerows, woods and meadows, or a limited range of garden curiosities.

As the da�odil business started to make money, and with the birth of Catherine, the family had outgrown their home at Appleshaw and now had the means to move somewhere more appropriate to their needs. Little Clarendon was an ideal choice for them. A late �fteenth-century house, it appealed to their antiquarian interests and sympathy for ‘spirit of place’. Most importantly it o�ered perfect growing conditions for da�odils.

The Da�odil Project

At the beginning of 2018 I was tasked with a project to identify and map the da�odil collection at Little Clarendon. Mike Beeston, Garden Consultant South West, knew there was a large collection of da�odils there and that they were potentially signi�cant. You cannot know, however, what is or isn’t signi�cant unless you know what you have, so he sent me o� to �nd out. In the following months I learnt rather more about da�odils

Everybody loves a good story. The National Trust’s raison d’être is to tell stories, about its houses, parks,

gardens, landscapes, coastline and plant collections … plant collections? Does it tell stories about plants? Maybe, here and there, on a small scale. All that could be about to change; stories about plants could move into the main stream of the Trust’s media output. The introduction of a new database for plant collections in the form of an attractive piece of software called IrisBG has the potential to bring stories about plants out of the dusty old paper archives and into the light of the modern digital world.

In 2000 I made the decision to change careers and retrain as a gardener through the Trust’s Garden Careership scheme. For the last 15 years I have worked outside

Di�ing up fresh stories: a renaissance for the Trust’s plant collections?Jess Usher, Volunteer, Little Clarendon, Wiltshire

the Trust but have recently returned as a volunteer and I am researching the Engleheart Da�odil Collection at Little Clarendon in Dinton.

Little Clarendon

Chances are you have never heard of Little Clarendon, a small property by Trust standards, approximately 12 miles to the west of Salisbury, occupied by tenants since it was given to the Trust in 1940. From 1901 it was the home of the Rev. George Herbert Engleheart (1851–1936) and his family. It was his wife Mary who gave the property to the Trust, although she and daughter Catherine continued to live there as the �rst Trust tenants. Sadly the couple’s son Paul had died

The Rev. George Engleheart at Little Clarendon. © Photographer unknown


than I had bargained for, and unearthed a little-known story about a plantsman and his passions in the Trust’s dense and dusty old archives.

It transpired that while the da�odils had never been mapped, the property had been extensively researched in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A report was produced and some e�ort had been made to identify the da�odils but with the conclusion that it was unlikely that any of the thousands of da�odils growing there could be original Engleheart cultivars. Consideration had also been given to how the site should be managed for the bene�t of the da�odils and the conclusions written into a plan. The report was duly archived and largely forgotten, but the plan somehow survived sta� turnover and changes in government countryside stewardship schemes, and is still more or less being implemented.

At a later date some photographs had been sent to John Lanyon, a head gardener with experience of heirloom da�odil collections. It is di®cult to identify plants with any certainty from photographs but he had tentatively identi�ed some of them as possibly being named Engleheart cultivars. This, as I was soon to �nd out, is not the same as original Engleheart cultivars.

Within a few months then, the project had grown from mapping the plant collection to include:

1 Testing the surmise that there were no named cultivars amongst the large drifts assessed in the 1990s as seedling plants remaining from Engleheart’s breeding programme.

The Rev. Engleheart with his gardeners who are planting da�odil bulbs. © Courtesy of Robert Engleheart (great-grandson of the Rev. Engleheart)

Below: Trial �elds of da�odils at Little Clarendon (date unknown). © Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre

Bottom: Drifts of heritage varieties of da�odils in the orchard at Little Clarendon. © National Trust/Jess Usher


Da�odils held by the Su�olk branch of Plant Heritage. Holders of heirloom collections are usually experts, and it is to these people I turned for help in identifying what I was looking at in the �eld. Many of Engleheart’s da�odils are lost; for some there are descriptions and illustrations which may help in �nding them, but we are potentially looking for something no one has recognised in many decades.

Kate and Duncan Donald of Croft 16 Da�odils in Scotland are expert heirloom collection holders. I was interested to hear their views about Little Clarendon. Duncan reiterated that there were no named cultivars surviving from Engleheart’s time – and then I found one.

Narcissus ‘Will Scarlet’

Narcissus ‘Will Scarlet’ was a ‘breakthrough’ da�odil for me and for Engleheart. He introduced it in 1898, exhibiting six bulbs at the Birmingham Flower Show of that year. Of the six bulbs, he sold three for £100, a princely sum then. At the time it caused a sensation because of the bright orange trumpet, a new colour break. Later commentators have been somewhat disparaging about its less than perfect petals but own that it is a good parent for

2 Testing the view that if there were named cultivars they must have been planted by the Trust in recent times.

3 Ensuring the site continued to be managed for the bene�t of the da�odils.

4 Most crucially, accessible recording – �nding a way to ensure that what is known about this property is readily available to the sta� managing it and that this knowledge can be used to tell this horticulturally important story.

Original cultivars

Engleheart registered 720 cultivars with the RHS Da�odil Register (the international authority on da�odil cultivars). These plants had a massive impact on the production of the modern da�odil. Valued in their own right at the time of their introduction, they were also used as parent plants by other hybridisers and went on to produce ever better cultivars. Of those 720, barely 20 of them are commercially available today, usually o�ered as ‘heirloom’ da�odils by only a small number of nurseries. There are collections of heirloom da�odils in and outside the Trust which contain some not commercially available. There is also a dedicated National Collection of Engleheart

hybridising purposes. Su®ce to say it is very distinctive and I think quite jaunty looking, re�ective of the character of its namesake.

When I �rst saw it in the woods at Little Clarendon, I knew immediately what it was. I sent a photograph to Duncan who con�rmed it as ‘unmistakably “Will Scarlet”’. The signi�cance of this plant is that it is not commercially available; it could have been sourced from an heirloom collection and planted recently but this is unlikely. There is only one reference to a new planting by the Trust, c. 2000, in the form of a list of cultivars bought from Croft 16: ‘Will Scarlet’ is not on the list, and the planting, if it took place, was close to the house. The ‘Will Scarlet’ growing at Clarendon is in the woods where we know the Englehearts created glades to form a woodland garden. Along with other plants, they planted da�odils, including what Catherine described as the ‘white belled da�odil’ – whatever that da�odil is, it is still there in profusion, a beautiful white triandrus type.

To me this raises tantalising possibilities: if ‘Will Scarlet’ is there and appears to be an original, what else might be there?

IrisBG

‘Will Scarlet’ is one da�odil, one story. There is so much more I could relate about the house, the family and the da�odils. How is this information to be kept? Should it not be available to all in an interactive form?

For the da�odils, the IrisBG plant database is a start. This spring I started mapping all areas with drifts of da�odils and pinpointed the positions of potentially signi�cant named cultivars. All the relevant details for each signi�cant cultivar are recorded. This is, however, more than a static database; it can be used as a collections management tool, it will be the interface between plant collections and the Trust’s Plant Conservation Centre, and it could be the interface between plant collections and the visiting public.

IrisBG has a sister software package which can link information from the plant database to an organisation’s public website. It is the hope of the Trust’s Plant Collections Curator that we will take this further step so that anyone planning a visit to a Trust property need only click a button on the website to �nd information about the plants there. For a small property like Little Clarendon with a big story to tell, that would be a mighty leap forward: out of the archive into the light.

Catherine Engleheart’s ‘white belled da�odil’, a triandrus type, which still grows in profusion in the woods. © National Trust/Jess Usher


at least they recorded what they saw, for which I am grateful. There were tons of tea and tobacco, and 2,500 gallons of brandy coming into the Su�olk coast every week; in just one six-month period, there were 4,551 recorded horse-loads of contraband. It was big business and much of it happened right here at Dunwich Heath. John Harvey was eventually caught, twice, but that is another story …

Exploring new depths

Our present-day coastguard building was built in 1826, next to what was then often referred to as the German Ocean. During the nineteenth century, taxes and smu�ling

The Trust’s shop and tea-room at Dunwich Heath in Su�olk are in a 200-year-old coastguard building

overlooking the North Sea. During my time on the East of England Regional Advisory Board, I enquired why there was no mention of any history about this place. Who lived here? What did the coastguards see and do? Surely something happened here?

Some of the responses I had were: ‘Well, it is an outdoor site’, ‘There isn’t much history’ and ‘Visitors come to enjoy the purple heather and walk the dog’. Once my term on the Advisory Board ended, I started exploring its history for myself. My research took in a number of sources: Su�olk Record O®ce, census records, Ancestry.com, the Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the National Archives at Kew, British Newspaper Archive, several archaeologists and individuals, Google and, much to my surprise, an article in this publication – Views.

In from the cold: uncovering the many histories of Dunwich HeathRichard Symes, Volunteer, Dunwich Heath, Su�olk

Discovery of a murky past

For centuries the area was known as Dunwich Common. The borough of Dunwich sold licences to graze animals and harvest brushwood and peat for fuel. In 1720 the common was heating around 40 homes and had around 100 grazing animals, mostly cows and horses. No visitors, of course, and altogether a very di�erent management approach from today’s conservation.

Our coastguard building is actually a successor to the Preventive Station. The Preventive Water Guard, pre-coastguards, was formed to tackle smu�ling during the eighteenth century. Their old station looked over one of the favourite beaches used by the smu�lers, including one John Harvey who ran the Hadleigh Gang. He regularly came with 100 horses, sometimes up to 300, plus carts and as many men as he could muster. The Preventive o®cers had no hope of stopping these well-armed smu�lers but

Under National Trust ownership, healthy walks and natural beauty have been Dunwich Heath’s selling points, with no history on o�er. © National Trust Images/Justin Minns


boy fell from it and was drowned. The remaining crew were eventually rescued by the Southwold lifeboat.

We know the names of all the Dunwich coastguards and their working conditions from the o®cial records. I was lucky to meet the great-great-granddaughter of one of them, Richard Clark. Her family allowed us access to their extraordinary family history. During the Crimean War (1853–6),

There are numerous records of shipwrecks, salvage and sadly much loss of life. We have an account written by a teenage girl who lived in one of our coastguard cottages in 1912. She returned home from a hockey match on a stormy January evening to �nd everyone down on the beach where a sailing ship was aground in the surf. The coastguards managed to get a line to the ship, but then watched in horror as a young

reduced, but the Industrial Revolution brought a huge amount of shipping moving coal and industrial goods down the East Coast. Today, you are lucky to see one ship but in 1850 you could easily have seen 500 a day. Old sailing ships, without engines, inevitably led to shipwrecks, and the role of the renamed Coast Guards was increasingly about safety at sea, keeping watch and rescue.

Coastguard cottages. The taller cottage is a Second World War lookout that was built on to the row of cottages as an observation post. © Photographer unknown

The crew of the SS Edernian, little knowing their fate. They and their ship lie not far from the beach. © Courtesy of Tony Jones (www.rhiw.com)


using live ammunition. At the height of operations here, 8,000 military personnel were based at Dunwich Heath. Given what they were doing and using, it’s no insult to say they trashed the place.

After the war, sporadic e�orts to clear the site of military structures and armaments went on for at least 25 years, and were given extra impetus in 1956 when a heath �re caused much of the left-over ordnance to explode. Despite all this, wartime relics still appear and a live mortar round was found in the surrounding area as recently as August 2018.

A history for future generations to explore

Initial reactions to my research have been of amazement. There is huge enthusiasm to share what has happened here. We have funding in place for interpretation, but the problem is almost one of too much history for the limited space available, and it may well have to be displayed on a rotation.

This history project provides many opportunities for Dunwich Heath, not just for display, but also guided walks and talks, theatre, education, an o�er to visitors for bad weather days and maybe more.

The Trust now has knowledge of where o®cial records are kept and a growing archive of information on Dunwich Heath. Plans are in hand to engage sta�, volunteers and visitors, as well as the local community, in building the history bank. What other stories are there yet to be discovered?

I knew little about any First World War involvement here until I read an article in Views on a project at Souter Lighthouse, Tyne & Wear, about the East Coast War Channel. This was the huge supply line which moved coal and industrial materials from the north of England south to the war front in France. Thanks to the Souter team, I got in touch with Antony Firth, a marine archaeologist who has done much research on this part of the war.

The German navy attacked the East Coast War Channel relentlessly. If one could drain the water, you could walk out to two dozen wrecks as well as a German U-boat. We know the details of each ship and their crews. One, the SS Edernian, was a Welsh cargo ship carrying steel to Dieppe. She had 14 crew, two only 17 years old, and they all came from the two small villages of Edern and Nefyn on the Llŷn peninsula. She was torpedoed on 20 August 1917 by UB-10 and went down with all hands.

The Second World War brought dramatic changes. The heath was occupied by the War Department and became one of the early Chain Home Low radar stations. The beaches just to the north and south were considered likely sites for a German landing and a colossal amount of defence works was built. They included steel works on the beach, anti-glider and anti-tank defences, and a 6-inch gun emplacement in the corner of what is now the visitor car park. When the tide of war turned, these defences were put to good use for Exercise Kruschen – a full-scale rehearsal for the Normandy landings. This involved building replica German defences which were then attacked with tanks, �ame throwers, mortars and artillery

coastguards were being taken to �ght in the Crimea, but Richard was a religious man and refused to bear arms. It was a very divisive time: the local magistrate refused to arrest him, and eventually a ship came from London to arrest him on the day his �fth child was born. He wrote a quick letter to this daughter, expecting never to see her again; the family still have that letter. A campaign involving the Quakers eventually got him released. It was one of the very earliest cases of a conscientious objector coming before Parliament.

Not only is this one of the most moving family stories I have read, but the family also wrote a play called ‘Con�ict’: con�ict between nations, between the people of Britain, between members of a family and the con�ict within a man’s mind. The setting for the play is our coastguard cottage. Had Richard gone to the Crimea to �ght, his wife and family would have a house and pension for life; but if he stuck to his belief (which his wife shared), his wife and family could be left with nothing.

A watch over world con�ict

The Coastguard Station closed in 1907, and the building was rented out to literary people. Among the visitors was the poet Edward Thomas of ‘Addlestrop’ fame who loved Dunwich Heath and wrote about it, but wrote very little about the attraction he had for his host’s teenage daughter. It all went well for some months until her father found out! This was several years before the First World War, in which Edward would be killed in 1917.

After a heath �re in 1956 caused a lot of abandoned ordnance to explode, greater e�ort was made to remove ordnance and wartime structures. Bomb disposal teams were sent in but this image shows a group of eastern European men, possibly part of a resettlement programme, taking a break from clearing the heath. © National Trust


coastal industrialisation and port expansion. For example, scenically magni�cent Milford Haven was excluded from the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, enabling four oil re�neries and a major power station to be built around it.

For the Trust to respond e�ectively to this situation, two things were needed: a strong coastal conservation policy and resources to

On 1 November 1909, Rosalie Chichester, the owner of a north Devon estate, signed over to the

�edgling National Trust 1.8km of coast at Morte Point. This was the Trust’s �rst Devon coastal acquisition, and the second in the county. Today the Trust’s Devon coastal holdings total 152km (94.4 miles), including 18km (11 miles) on Lundy. Knowledge of how this was achieved is scant, but Trust records enable much of this important story to be pieced together. A tale of four very di�erent eras emerges.

Foundations: 1909–45

Progress after 1909 was initially hesitant, but the pace accelerated encouragingly in the 1930s, and gains spread to the south coast. Consequently, by 1945 the Trust had 22 holdings in the county, totalling 29.4km (18 miles) and chie�y concentrated around Morte Bay in the north and close to Salcombe in the south.

Altruism was key to this progress. As the Trust had no money for purchases, every gain was either a gift from a landowner or a local appeal committee, many motivated by fears of the spread of tourism and housing. Intriguingly, appeals were characteristic of the south, while landowner gifts dominated the north. This contrast probably re�ected population geography: with many fewer people, the north was not fertile ground for appeals.

One other feature of this period was striking: those giving land were almost all unmarried ladies and widows, mostly lacking immediate heirs, and concerned at what might happen to their properties. These ladies, plus the individuals behind appeals, were fundamental to laying the foundations at this time.

Drought: 1945–64

Re�ecting the straitened times, the 20 years after the Second World War were extremely disappointing. Only eight acquisitions were made, totalling less than 8km (5 miles). Moreover, almost all the gains were accounted for by just three new holdings, at

Forgotten stories revisited: the National Trust and coastal conservation in Devon David Pinder, Emeritus Professor of Geography, University of Plymouth

Heddon’s Mouth and Woolacombe on the north coast, and Prattshayes in the south. In annual average terms, the 1930s were almost �ve times more successful.

Paradoxically, this period’s importance lay in this lack of progress. At Trust headquarters, some became seriously concerned at a widespread lack of momentum, not least in Devon. And their concern was strongly reinforced by escalating coastal pressures – partly tourism and residential demand fuelled by growing prosperity, but also new forces, especially

Morte Point: view towards Woolacombe and (inset) Rosalie Chichester. © National Trust Images/David Noton


accelerating land donations, legacies and local appeals. The results were impressive. In these 30 years only a quarter of all acquisitions in Devon involved funding directly raised by the national appeal. Meanwhile, the rate at which coastal properties were given to the Trust more than tripled, while the bequest results were even better. Before 1965 only four properties had been bought using legacies; now the bequest fund supported dozens of purchases.

Equally important was a decision to seek quite di�erent funding streams. In Devon, new sources included family trusts, the County Council and the Women’s Institute, but government grants – especially from the Countryside Commission – dominated the trend. A key feature of these grants, and some other sources, was that they would only part-fund individual acquisitions. Matched funding was therefore needed, requiring the Trust to assemble funding packages. These could be complex: often, three or four bequests, trusts or local appeals were drawn on, the record being seven.

Quantitatively, this package-funding strate� was central to rapid progress, because combining several substantial resources enabled large purchases to be made. While new holdings funded by a single source averaged 22ha, the package �gure was 67 and, altogether, packages secured two-thirds of land gained in this period.

Recent years: from acquisition to biodiversity

Since the mid-1990s, and especially since 2000, acquisition rates have once more fallen dramatically. In the last 20 years only 6.7km have been gained in Devon, less than 0.4km a year on average. Among other things, this re�ects both the cost

In the north, large parts of the Exmoor coast, plus substantial stretches in the Welcombe, Brownsham and Portledge areas, were added. Here progress was swift: three-quarters of the gains were secured by 1985. On the south coast most acquisitions came later, but were equally impressive. While the Salcombe cluster spread towards Prawle Point, large stretches were purchased both east and west. Eastwards the Kingsbridge Peninsula, the Dart Estuary and the Weston area were key. Westwards the Ringmore and Yealm coasts dominated.

It might be assumed that, with Neptune raising signi�cant donation income, purchases using the new fund would dominate these years. But, in parallel with the main public appeal, central fundraisers also used Neptune as a �agship targeted at

implement it. Despite heated debate within the organisation as to whether it was right to focus so much attention on coastal land, a major campaign – Enterprise Neptune – was launched in 1965.

Ambitions achieved: 1965–96

Neptune’s impact was immediate. In the �rst �ve years more than 15km (9 miles) of mainland coast were gained in Devon – twice the total for the previous 20 years. By 1979 the �gure was 38km (23.6 miles), rising to 100km (62 miles) by 1996. Although some of this growth expanded the early dominant clusters at Morte Bay and Salcombe, most occurred elsewhere, radically changing the geography of Trust ownership.

Devon: National Trust holdings, 2018, and protected landscapes. © National Trust

National Trust coast viewed from Branscombe in the Weston area. Development, typical of coastal access points, predates Trust ownership. © National Trust/Tim Bowden


management. In response, policy has switched decisively from acquisition to biodiversity protection.

The most widespread problem this policy targets is the relentless spread of gorse and other scrub, smothering the land and rapidly reducing the range of other �ora and fauna. Various approaches to this – from grazing to clearance and technolo� – are explored in the original paper on which this article is based. But that investigation also highlights the environmental gains to be

of maintaining the existing estate and a dwindling supply of attractive new holdings.

Echoing the post-war years, this current period could be dismissed as unimportant. Yet, once again, the reverse is true. These years have been ones of rapidly growing understanding of the value of environmental

made from further acquisitions, even though they may be occasional. At Wembury Point an abandoned Ministry of Defence site has become a �ne example of brown-�eld rehabilitation (and of access for the less mobile). And at Bolt Tail the purchase of land (needed, but unfortunately not secured, in the 1930s) has unlocked solutions to long-standing problems of inappropriate grazing, landscape deterioration and visitor pressure.

And the future?

This story – one of challenges met and opportunities seized – is well worth rescuing from oblivion. No doubt the same is true of many other parts of the country. But the story has not ended. Climate change is already having its environmental impact, and no doubt there will be other obstacles to overcome. Continuing to adapt to challenges will be the key to ensuring that these outstanding coasts will remain jewels in the crown of both the National Trust and Devon.

Article information

This article is an abridged version of one published by the Devonshire Association. Illustrated by numerous full-colour maps and photographs, the original can be downloaded from the publications page on Wembury Local History Society’s website: http://wemburyhistory.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ 2019/06/Devon-Coast-NT-article.pdf. David can be contacted at [email protected]

Bolt Tail’s open landscape today. The walker is on the line of the fence and hedge which con�ned walkers before the 2009 purchase. © National Trust

View from Watermouth towards the Great Hangman and Little Hangman. New holdings on the Exmoor coast expanded ownership from 3km to 13km after 1965. © North Devon Coast AONB


was an appetite in the Trust for a piece of work exploring and synthesising possible approaches to thatching with heather.

Heather thatching in the Trust

Heather-thatched buildings can be found across the Trust, including at Benthall Hall, Shropshire, Sheringham Park, Norfolk, on the Slindon Estate in West Sussex, Scotney Castle, Kent, and Cragside in Northumberland. My research into heather thatching was supported by the knowledge

There’s a roo�ess belvedere at the bottom of the garden at Penrhyn Castle in Gwynedd. Currently covered

in black plastic and bird-deterring wire, it hovers over the bog garden at the end of a wooden walkway, surrounded in the summer months by lush and �erce Gunnera. It is usually an attractive, whimsical element in the beautiful Walled Garden, but last year its heather roof – a key feature of the design – reached the end of its lifespan and had to be removed.

But how to go about rethatching the belvedere? Thatch is hardly seen in North

Lost and found: tracking down a traditional skillEleanor Harding, Assistant Curator, Wales

Wales and heather thatch is increasingly rare across the UK, even in areas where its historic use was common. It took only a brief survey to realise that rethatching the belvedere wouldn’t be as simple as just hiring in a contractor with the existing skills and knowledge; we needed to understand more about thatching a building in heather today – who was doing it, how they did it and what it cost. What we did �nd, however,

The belvedere, heather roof in place, in 2007. © Steve Daniels/geograph.org.uk/p/4641921 (CC-BY-SA 2.0)


have to look outside Wales, and outside the Trust, for examples of vernacular buildings thatched in heather today. Leanach Cottage,4 run by the National Trust for Scotland, is one of the few examples, as is the Black Barn in Northumberland, ambitiously restored by a private owner in 2013. Across Scotland and in Northumberland before the mid-nineteenth century, heather thatching was widespread in the uplands, where the material was abundant and easy to transport.

The disappearance of heather thatching

With the huge growth of the slate industry, driven by the Douglas-Pennants at Penrhyn Castle, transporting slate across Britain by rail became cheaper. The steep pitched roofs required for thatching on cottages from Kent to Northumberland were replaced by second storeys and roofed in slate, and the use of thatch declined.

At the same time, changes in heathland management to support upland grazing, agricultural improvement and the development of shooting estates prevented the growth of heather to the height of around one metre needed for thatching material.

The di®culty of �nding the materials, as well as the decreased demand, led to a loss of skills and knowledge of the methods for heather thatching. The di®culty of �nding evidence for these methods – due to the tendency to strip away all old thatch in preparation for a rethatch – has made the recovery of that knowledge and skills extremely challenging.

Recent heather-thatching projects have therefore brought together thatchers with experience of more common materials with research and extrapolation, in order to recover or reinvent methods of heather thatching.

In practice, for someone researching how best to rethatch a heather-roofed belvedere at Penrhyn Castle, this means that there’s no straight answer.

Research and discovery of methods

The Landmark Trust,5 National Trust for Scotland and Beamish Museum6 have all recently produced blogs promoting their heather-thatching work, which gave a

appearing in the gardens of the a¸uent, heather was disappearing from the roofs of the vernacular buildings that inspired them: a trend which brings us right back to Penrhyn Castle, and to the slate quarry which paid for it.

Heather thatching for the poor

None of the vernacular buildings in the Trust’s care retain their heather-thatched roofs, although we have an engraving of Thomas Bewick’s birthplace, Cherryburn, showing its heather thatching. Cherryburn, like the majority of thatched houses, was re-roofed in slate at some point, probably in the late nineteenth century.

Before the increased availability and a�ordability of Welsh slate, thatching of vernacular buildings was fairly universal across Britain. You thatched with whatever material you had to hand, and when buildings were close to heathland (especially upland heath, where reed and wheat were scarce), you used heather, as happened in the heather-moor areas of North Wales, such as Mynydd Hiraethog.3

Although I’ve found no surviving examples of heather thatching in North Wales, there are still one or two thatched houses, as well as evidence of mid-nineteenth-century remodelling of thatched buildings to accommodate slate roofs. You

and experience of building surveyors, countryside managers, curators and gardeners who work at those properties. All mistakes are my own though!

Heather thatching for the rich

How and why our buildings came to be thatched in heather di�ers from place to place. The Penrhyn belvedere, for example, is a recent introduction to the castle’s garden. Built in the mid-1990s, it references a Georgian and Victorian trend for rustic and romantic garden buildings. While it is now an important visual and physical intervention in the garden, it doesn’t have the pedigree of buildings like the ice house at Scotney, which is the real deal, built c.1840 and Grade II listed.

Faux rural follies, half tumbled down, thatched in heather, and even – if you were lucky – furnished with their own hermit, were a feature of mid-eighteenth- to mid-nineteenth-century gardens.1 They were designed to catch the eye, create a sense of intrigue and evoke a ‘natural’ landscape, as well as provide some form of shelter for pleasure-seekers.2 The nineteenth-century summerhouse at Benthall Hall, with its red-tile �oor and arched windows, is an excellent example of this rustic style.

Yet at the same time that these heather-thatched garden and service buildings were

An early engraving of Cherryburn by Collins, showing its original heather-thatched roof. © National Trust Images/John Hammond


traditions will have been the deciding factor in how roofs were thatched, combined with the basic properties of heather as a thatching material.

Penrhyn’s next steps

Clearly, with small garden buildings there is no need to be totally watertight, and as we had no historic heather-thatching methods to uncover, a less research-intensive approach was appropriate. While the conservation and rethatch of the heather-thatched roof at the Black Barn took �ve years and cost £116,000, the rethatching of Benthall’s summerhouse in 2010 was done with minimum fuss at a cost of £490 for labour and materials free from the Trust’s Long Mynd. A con�dent thatcher, who had previously worked with heather and heritage buildings, worked with his team to replace the heather roof over three days.

We’ll be taking our lead from Benthall and adopting a light-touch approach for our modern belvedere. Our �rst step is to �nd a local source of heather providing fresh growth of around a metre tall. Su�estions welcome!

References1. Cock-Starkey, Claire, ‘The Strange, Short-

Lived British Trend of Hiring Ornamental Hermits’, Mental Floss, 15 May 2017; http://mental�oss.com/article/500916/short-lived-british-fashion-ornamental-hermits (accessed 11 June 2019).

2. Garden and Park Structures: Listing Selection Guide (Historic England, 2017), free to download from https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/dlsg-garden-park-structures/heag108-garden-and-park-structures-lsg/

3. William, Eurwyn, Traditional Farm Buildings in North East Wales, 1550–1900 (National Museum of Wales, Welsh Folk Museum, 1982), p.95.

4. ‘Culloden heather used to thatch Leanach Cottage’, National Trust for Scotland, 28 August 2018; www.nts.org.uk/stories/culloden-heather-used-to-thatch-leanach-cottage (accessed 11 June 2019).

5. ’Preserving the art of heather thatching: Causeway House, Northumberland’ (Landmark Trust, 2018); www.landmarktrust.org.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/causeway_house_preserving_art_of_heather_thatching/ (accessed 11 June 2019).

6. ‘Heather thatching at Joe the Quilter’s cottage’, Beamish Museum, 6 June 2018; www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYfFvKRHOdE (accessed 11 June 2019).

7. Dower, Robin, ‘Consolidation and repair of a heather-thatched barn’, Journal of Architectural Conservation, 21:1, 2015, pp.12–29.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the evidence available at their respective properties, the Landmark Trust and the consortium of architects, archaeologists and thatchers at the Black Barn came to di�erent conclusions about the best approach for their respective roofs. From the best materials for the job to methods of construction for the ridge, their research took them in di�erent directions. Given that heather thatching has always been a vernacular technique, di�erent approaches are hardly surprising. Local skills and

few clues about their methods and, more helpfully, the names of people to contact. I found a detailed methodolo� in the Journal of Architectural Conservation based on the restoration of the Black Barn in Northumberland.7 Only Causeway House (Landmark Trust) and the Black Barn, both eighteenth-century buildings, had had remnants of existing heather thatch, enabling them to adopt an archaeological approach to rethatching, in conjunction with archival research and the skills of an experienced thatcher.

The Penrhyn belvedere in summer 2019, missing its heather thatch. © National Trust/Eleanor Harding

Views 45 Changing places

breed each year. In addition, the site is connected to another �ve miles of Trust coastline and is part of a continuous 13-mile network of dune sites punctuated by four small coastal communities.

dune, salt marsh, pasture, wet grassland river, woodland and arable habitats as well as an old disused barn and bungalow. Our existing land includes Newton Links, with its SSSI designated dunes, to the south, and in between the Special Protected Area and Ramsar site of the Long Nanny estuary, where thousands of Arctic terns and many little terns and ringed plovers return to

Revealing Tughall’s true natureGwen Potter, Countryside Manager, Northumberland Coast

Changing places

What would you do if the National Trust decided to purchase the land you had at the top of your

acquisition wish list? In truth, after the celebrations comes the panic – so much to do and never enough time!

We became custodians of Tughall Mill near Beadnell in Northumberland in June 2017. The site comprises around 81ha of sand

Arctic tern at Long Nanny. © National Trust Images/Tim Robinson

46 Views Changing places

but su®cient to encourage fruiting and hedgerow birds and mammals. We are creating riparian bu�ers and have already increased the available area of dune for autumn grazing. Our tenant’s Farm Business Tenancy is coming to an end this year and because we have a good relationship, we have been able to negotiate favourable management across the whole site, barring a few awkward bits which are either not registered or registered to somebody else. We will be carrying out the capital works including nature-rich hedgerow creation, new areas of woodland and scrub and riparian bu�ers, creating plenty of opportunities for hedgerow and tree planting with local communities.

The key lesson has been that there are several ways to reach your ‘vision’ for the land, and sometimes the way to realise it may need to change as you get into the detail. Therefore the question should be: ‘will this take us towards our vision?’ If the answer is ‘yes’, then changes shouldn’t be a problem. We have shared our �ve-year goals with the tenant so that, should he wish to continue, he can manage his stock according to our plans, which we hope will move us from a Trust-only vision towards a shared vision.

woods which were a crucial resource for �rewood and timber and for grazing pigs in autumn until the post-medieval move to arable agriculture. Woodland could therefore be one of the most important habitats at Tughall, particularly if some areas become very old, with trees left to reach maturity and beyond and scrub being retained. Eventually, when they move further north as a consequence of climate change, nightingales and turtle doves could sing here.

Our wet grassland has proved wonderful for wintering birds, including huge �ocks of wigeon, lapwing, barnacle goose and golden plover. While we originally planned for much of the large pasture to revert to species-rich grassland, the current regime appears to be favourable to these species so we will retain it. We have some wonderfully charismatic mammals, such as brown hare, otter, badger and fox, which we have picked up on our trail cams or found their prints The fox and badger footage will need to remain secret while the local hunt continues its regular incursions, but for many of our visitors, these charismatic and slightly more common mammals are what will grab their attention and really help them appreciate the site.

Shared goals, same vision

Our tenant has already been managing the land very well, and this is why the wildlife at Tughall is so brilliant, from profusions of bloody cranesbill in the dunes to barn owl, king�sher and ancient ‘lapsed’ hawthorn. We used much of our post-acquisition fund on extensive fencing and some minor work in a dried-up pond, and there is no doubt that this created considerable goodwill early on. He has always been willing to engage with us and we have invited him to join us on visits to other farms and on survey days. This year we have been choosing HLS options with him; in the long term, our goal will be organic, extensive grazing, predominantly with cattle and ponies, but in the meantime we need to improve the grasslands by reducing summer grazing and reverting the arable to species-rich grassland, woodland and scrub, providing a haven in the �elds for the skylarks and grey partridge we know to be present.

We have already created some new hedgerows, which we will continue to increase and ‘gap-up’. In some areas, we shall aim for tall, High Nature Status hedges with plenty of standard trees but in the larger pastures, we will still have a highly diverse mix, trimmed low to discourage predators

It became immediately apparent that four actions were necessary: �nding out what we had, engaging the existing tenant, honing our vision and making the local community aware of our plans. Some of these proved easier than others!

Discovering what we had

We quickly identi�ed our key habitats and worked with local naturalists to survey them, particularly looking at plants and moths. This helped us �nd all kinds of unexpected species, from prickly saltwort to crescent moth – handy for when we spoke to Natural England about Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) management options. We surveyed the vegetation in year one, prior to fencing o� an experimental area, checked for bat roosts and surveyed breeding birds in 2018. We also looked at our soil and found that although all soils were perfect for species-rich grassland, there were some unexpected results. The �eld we thought had the best species-rich grassland potential based on our ‘W’ transects – it had the most diverse species, �ner grasses and an interesting ridge of alluvial material – was not as good as �elds that looked poorer in terms of species composition.

Removing invasive non-native species did not necessarily require a large survey – we could too plainly see a large patch of cherry laurel in the wood and balsam almost all the way along the stream. Now, in year three, after two years of removing virtually every plant from upstream to downstream, there is far less balsam. We removed the laurel in winter 2017 and it made us reconsider how the woodland might look in the future. Being relatively wet on the south bank, with small ponds, this wood of mainly hawthorn, ash and sycamore could be transformed into a mossy tangle of birch and willow with hawthorn and oak in the drier areas, perfect for king�shers and otters that are already present but also, potentially, willow tits.

We needed to identify veteran trees in order to ensure there is a good succession in the small wooded area. Some of our oldest were found among beautiful areas of lapsed hawthorn hedge alongside copious scrub, full of breeding yellowhammers and linnets. This work made us realise that engagement with people further up the catchment will be necessary, and also that the goals for the site need to be habitat-based. There is very little ancient woodland in Northumberland as it is likely to be one of the �rst ‘agriculturalised’ (if that’s a word) counties in England. The county was cleared for farming early on, and in the centuries after the Romans left there was a fragmented pattern of small

A night-time visitor picked up by our nature web cams. © National Trust


to nest. Our undisturbed areas of coast are often a lifeline for coastal wildlife, and because we can declare our land inalienable, i.e. within our protection for ever, it is likely to be the best place for the long-term future of shorebirds in Northumberland.

It hasn’t all gone swimmingly. We have to sell the buildings and there will be pressure to include some of the land and guarantee access for the new owners across the habitats where we’d like to increase the number of ground-nesting birds. Although we liaised with some local groups about erecting a viewing screen for the birds, other visitors have asked us to take it down, which we will be doing at the end of the tern season.

What would I do di�erently? Engage all the communities you can think of in your vision as early as possible – even if you think they don’t have a direct stake in what you are doing. This could be something as simple as a newsletter. And engage as many internal stakeholders in your vision as possible – otherwise you may �nd decisions are made that do not go the way the property intended.

habitat for some very vulnerable species on a changing coastline.

It will be important to communicate what we are doing and why, talk to stakeholders early, address any concerns they have, create alternative routes where possible, and create a robust communications plan in case of complaints. This year, a huge area of our newly acquired dune has eroded more than once, leaving a large section of new fencing hanging in mid-air but providing a great home for nesting sand martins – nature always �nds a way. This has meant that the alternative access is far steeper than in 2018, and water �oods our access track more frequently. We may need to move our seasonal shorebird ranger base from Newton Links, south of the Long Nanny, to Tughall Links to the north as the site continues to change, and to protect Newton Links from increasing erosion from our vehicles. Locally, our base is one of few places where visitors can come and talk to a ranger so we need to keep it accessible.

Tughall will become less viable for little terns as the frequency of summer storms increase. As a larger area around Long Nanny becomes intertidal, it will be important to consider alternative sites for our shorebirds

Consulting and listening

We spoke to our local parish council and Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty partners about our plans, who have supported our work. This was invaluable when we wanted to close o� an area of beach for three months in summer 2018 to provide new opportunities for shorebirds and accommodate the natural movement of the estuary as it constantly changes course which has previously blocked access. We were concerned that there would be numerous complaints about this, but we identi�ed an alternative route through the dunes which would a�ord spectacular coastal views. Ultimately, we had 94% positive feedback about the changes and were able to respond to any complaints by improving signage and being open to adapting the routes; for example, creating a path away from a barbed-wire fence on steep areas and creating a gentle incline into the dunes rather than a steep route. We were lucky in that this work was adjacent to an accessible area and there were alternative routes we could create, but it may become increasingly important to close areas to visitors in the future if we are to retain


be managed in-hand by the West Cornwall countryside team and have been included in a Natural England Countryside Stewardship scheme. ‘Our Mire Desire’ is our project to restore Boswednack mire and cli� to be a healthy, beautiful and natural environment, where wildlife can thrive.

What is happening?

In the mire, species such as willow, bramble and bracken will be cut back so that only islands of scrub remain, making space for the important purple moor-grass habitat and wild�owers. Creating this more open

it lies within the West Penwith section of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as well as being part of a Site of Special Scienti�c Interest.

One of our tenant farmers looks after much of this special place with a herd of dairy cows grazing the �elds. Outside the tenancy lies cli� land that has been deemed in ‘Unfavourable’ condition as it is dominated by bracken. Inland the mire is packed with dense purple moor-grass tussocks and impenetrable scrub that has been grazed infrequently.

Purple moor-grass habitat is recognised as valuable for a range of wildlife, but much has been lost over the years owing to an increase in agriculture or has deteriorated through mismanagement. In January 2019 the mire and cli� land were taken back to

Our Mire Desire: exploring uncharted territory and habitat restoration in West CornwallKate Evans, Senior Visitor Experience O®cer, West Cornwall Coast & Countryside

The West Cornwall countryside team started 2019 with a new habitat restoration project. After 20 years

of scrub encroachment at Boswednack mire, the team pulled on their wellies and waterproofs to head into the boÆ environment to begin to improve this important site for nature. Sta� and volunteers wove in and out of the scrub and tall tussocks of purple moor-grass to start clearing and burning the encroaching scrub using a mix of hand tools and machinery.

What makes this place so special?

Boswednack, near Gurnard’s Head, includes grassland �elds, mire habitat and cli� land. The site is recognised for many reasons:

Beginning the task of clearing dense scrub. © National Trust/Shaun Boyes


know the site, but we’re also �nding out how it is used and by what; we continue to carry out many wildlife surveys for birds, moths and botany to achieve a fuller picture.

A drone survey covering all of the land in this area was completed in January 2019. The �nished survey allows us to look all around the mire and cli� land as well as zooming in on a particular location for a closer inspection of habitat condition. We will be able to take a repeat survey at the precise same height and coordinates in a few years’ time to assess our progress in improving this habitat.

After a number of years of scrub management and reduction of grass tussocks, we hope to have a good quality purple moor-grass habitat interspersed with islands of scrub. In the future we should see the coastal grassland along the cli� teeming with wild�ower species and supporting populations of wild�owers, birds, bees, butter�ies, dragon�ies, moths, other insects and amphibians.

be treated to reduce its coverage. The ponies will be moved to the cli� land over the winter to continue their important conservation grazing work. Electric fencing and two kissing gates will be installed on the South West Coast Path to control where they roam.

Determining progress

The mire had been untouched for 20 years so this project is still very much an exploration. Simply getting in to discover what is there has been a challenge and feels like venturing into unchartered territory. It took the ranger team a signi�cant time to get right round the site and cut a path for the stock fencing: we had a choice of trying to walk at ground level, pushing through the tussocks and getting wet while avoiding being tripped up by the many brambles, or awkwardly leaping from the tops of each tussock – both approaches were tiring and di®cult! Not only are we now getting to

space will allow wildlife such as butter�ies to move freely through and around the site.

We are working with the Shires Holt Horse Sanctuary charity and in June six ponies were introduced to the area to graze, trample and nibble the encroaching scrub further and reduce the height of the purple moor-grass tussocks so that wild�owers could thrive without being shaded out. By year 5, we hope to have between 20% and 90% cover of wild�owers in the sward, reducing or excluding undesirable species such as hemlock and water dropwort, but including high-value indicator species for Purple Moor-Grass and Rush Pastures Priority Habitat such as bog pimpernel, bugle, common valerian, devil’s-bit scabious, greater bird’s-foot-trefoil and orchid species.

A fence, gate and a trough have been installed for the ponies, and we will also be creating two ponds in the mire. This additional standing water will encourage and support species of dragon�ies, frogs and newts. On the cli�, the overgrown bracken will

The ponies on their �rst day – you can see how dense the bracken is! © National Trust/Ash Pearson

Tussocks of purple moor-grass on Boswednack. © National Trust/Ash Pearson


Changing for the better: improving biodiversity in Mottisfont’s chalk streamsDylan Everett, Countryside Manager, Mottisfont, New Forest and south-west Hants

The rivers Test and Dun are typical chalk streams; fed by groundwater, and therefore not directly a�ected

by rainfall, chalk streams tend to be stable habitats in terms of both temperature and water �ow (Ibbotson et al., 1994).

The River Test is spring-fed, rising in the Upper Chalk near Ashe, Hampshire. The water enters the Test at a consistent temperature of around 11ºC, with the main river itself maintaining an average year-round temperature of between 5 and 17ºC (Environment Agency, n.d.). The river is 40 miles (64 km) long, and covers an area of 1260km², entering the estuary above Southampton Water.

The River Dun is a tributary of the Test; it rises above Lockerley north west of the National Trust’s Mottisfont Estate and joins the Test below it. The Trust owns and manages a section of the Dun and other stretches of the Test adjoining Stockbridge Common Marsh about �ve miles upstream of Mottisfont and just downstream of Stockbridge. The Trust-managed stretches comprise approximately 3.2 miles (5.1km) that are run primarily as a brown trout (Salmo trutta) �shery.

Brown trout are found right across the British Isles, in rivers, streams and still waters (Maitland, 2000), and are a notable resident of chalk streams in southern England. The presence of the trout can be used as an indicator of the quality of the water and the ecosystem of the waterway as a whole (Summers et al., 1996). Though the chalk streams of southern England are known to be home to a rich diversity of �sh (Prenda et al., 1997), the exploitation of these �sh stocks, and habitat degradation, have caused concern for populations (Environment Agency, 2003). Since taking back management of the Test at Mottisfont in the early 2000s, the Trust has actioned a new �shery management policy to encourage native wildlife back to its banks. This has included changing our bankside management: rather than undertake wholesale vegetation cutting, as was done previously, we now target non-desirable species of vegetation, such as bramble, nettle and thistle, where these species would inhibit �shing quality and the overall visitor experience. On the whole, this policy has

The Oakley Beat today. A thriving �shing beat and the premier �shing beat at Mottisfont, famed for its connections to F.M. Halford. © National Trust

A stretch of the River Test as it �ows through Mottisfont. © National Trust/Hugh Motherside


conditions for classic chalk stream habitat and would allow considerable diversity to be built into the project during the implementation phase.

The �nal modelled design supported removing the weir and importing 1,600 tonnes of gravel to the dredged stretch. The modelling also identi�ed that gravel substrate imported in 2009 required redistribution, so that it could create the required conditions for upstream neighbours to embark on habitat improvement works. The work was conducted by specialist contractor Aquascience using a 32-tonne long-reach excavator to introduce the gravels. A smaller excavator worked instream to remove the weir and distribute the gravel in line with the UoS model. This methodolo� allowed us to work with a high degree of accuracy, sticking to the model whilst creating the diversity required for a healthy system.

Why do the work?

The project is part of the Trust’s ongoing commitment to improve land condition, meet Natural England targets for SSSI status, provide access, education and engagement of our special places, while

for sustainable recreation, including ford restoration for river access (dogs, livestock) alongside previously degraded open-access land. It has prevented poaching of restored areas whilst allowing commoner grazing to continue and enhance the chalk stream marginal habitat to mirror that of the opposite bank.

At Oakley beat we aimed to improve the habitat for 450m upstream of a man-made rock weir. The historic dredging had made the beat too slow and deep to support the expected community of chalk stream �ora and fauna. The University of Southampton (UoS) surveyed and computer-modelled the stretch. This enabled us to con�rm the issues and assess the most bene�cial and cost-e�ective solutions. Research su�ested that average depths of 0.7–0.9m and �ow rates of 0.2–0.5m/s provided the optimum

worked well, especially in those areas where we own both banks. A key bene�t of this new approach is that the river can now widen and narrow in direct relation to the �ow rates of the seasons.

The Trust has also implemented a one-metre no-cutting zone adjacent to the river to encourage wildlife into these areas. This has led to numerous observed successes, such as the return of water rail, increases in the numbers and species of dragon�y and damsel�y, increases in water vole activity, greater success in great crested grebe broods and encouraging signs of aquatic invertebrate numbers.

Recent project delivery

The Trust aims to ensure all its Sites of Special Scienti�c Interest (SSSI) are maintained in a ‘Favourable’ status. The SSSI units along the Test are classed as ‘Unfavourable’ and therefore individual management strategies have been formed to improve this status. The areas of concern on the Trust’s holdings are on Stockbridge Marsh Court stream, where excessive pressure from dogs, people and livestock had led to erosion and reduced vegetation; and on Oakley beat, where poor �ow rates and excessive depths due to a weir and historic dredging of the river bed were a�ecting the habitat.

These issues were identi�ed by project partners, including Natural England and the Environment Agency, as inhibiting factors towards the wider catchment Test and Itchen Restoration Strate� (T&IRS). The Court Leet of Stockbridge was also a key engagement partner in terms of funding and enabling traditional commoning practice, such as grazing and access, to continue.

Project details

To remedy the Marsh Court stream, we needed to enable sustainable open access and recreational use of the common, maintain the commons grazing regime and restore the bank-side vegetation and eroded inlet sections of adjacent peat land. The �rst phase was implemented in 2014, following a year of planning, and concentrated on 750m of the worst a�ected stretches of the stream. A combination of temporary fencing, geotextile on eroded banks, transplanting, inlet in�ll and ford restoration has helped restore the natural habitat whilst maintaining access and grazing.

This work delivered project objectives by allowing the inlets and bankside vegetation to regenerate, stabilise and allow

The Oakley beat and �shing hut in the early 1900s with Dick Coxon (river keeper, pointing) and F.M. Halford. © Photographer unknown

F.M. Halford, pioneer of modern dry �y �shing who in�uenced the management and �shing of the Mottisfont �shery in the early 1900s, for which the area is still very much renowned. © Photographer unknown


The works undertaken on Stockbridge Marsh have also shown considerable success. Vegetation has �ourished and water voles and wildfowl have returned to the area since works were completed. The 100 tonnes of peat and vegetation removed from Mottisfont’s ditches to the inlets has colonised successfully and has been extremely e�ective in maintaining and enhancing access. Catherine Hadler, Area Ranger and project manager for the Stockbridge work, has reported numerous bene�ts already and will continue to monitor this in the years ahead.

The work undertaken by the Trust since taking the �shery management back in hand includes being shortlisted for the Wild Trout Trust Conservation Award in 2006 and 2016, as well as being nominated for a LASER (London and South East Region) Award in 2017.

ReferencesIbbotson, A., Armitage, P.D., Beaumont, W., Ladle, M., Welton, S. (1994). ‘Spatial and temporal distribution of �sh in a small lowland stream’. Fisheries Management and Ecology, vol. 1; pp.143–56.Maitland, P.S. (2000). Hamlyn Guide to Freshwater Fish of Britain and Europe, Hamlyn, London.Prenda, J., Armitage, P.D., Grayston, A. (1997). ‘Habitat use by the �sh assemblages of two chalk streams’. Journal of Fish Biology, vol. 51; pp.64–79.Summers, D.W., Giles, N., Willis, D.J. (1996). Restoration of Riverine Trout Habitats, A Guidance Manual. Environment Agency R&D Technical Report W18.

by a number of partners including Viridor, Sparsholt College, Mottisfont Fly Fishing Club and the Houghton Fishing Club.

2019 evaluation

The Oakley beat is being �shed again since the works were �nished. An electro�shing survey undertaken with Sparsholt College students showed an improving trend in salmonid populations. Commenting on the results, project manager and River Keeper Neil Swift, said: ‘As with all environmental surveying, it’s important not to get carried away with one good survey and remember that it’s long-term bene�ts that we’re looking for. After all, there are many factors that can a�ect the results, and at best each survey only provides a snapshot. However, it indicates that we’re headed in the right direction. Of course, the habitat and the �shing will continue to mature and develop as time goes on, and I am excited to see what the future brings us on the Oakley.’

sustaining traditional practices. Working with local communities and educational institutions is an integral part of this.

The Oakley beat, being part of the Mottisfont �shery, is subject to both major project and daily management to ensure that fantastic �shing and ecolo� go hand-in-hand. The Marsh Court stream restoration is part of an ongoing plan to restore and preserve the bankside and riverine SSSI habitat directly opposite the famous Houghton Fishing Club. Accessibility was maintained by using substrate from Mottisfont’s wetlands; historically, this would have originated from upstream stretches, including the Marsh Court stream. The substrate removal also improved the habitat requirements for the southern damsel�y, a Biodiversity Action Plan species identi�ed at Mottisfont in 2005.

As a contribution towards the T&IRS, the project will be an example to other landowners across the catchment of what can be achieved. As well as those already mentioned, the works have been supported

Oakley salmonids 2008–18. © National Trust/Sparsholt College

The change in bankside management is bene�cial to wildlife. © National Trust Images/Richard Bradshaw


Wildlife

Foxbury has one of the densest nightjar populations in the New Forest with 27 churring males identi�ed in recent surveys. Breeding Dartford warbler and woodlark are also now notable species. To give the whole project some context, in 2006, when Foxbury was still a conifer plantation, our bird surveys were consistently recording around 12 species. Now in 2019 we have identi�ed 105 species of bird on the site, a consequence of the diversity of habitats that it now contains.

So far 26 species of butter�y have been identi�ed, including a heathland specialist, the silver-studded blue, along with 12 species of bat and over 17 species of dragon�y and damsel�y – key indicators of good habitat health and the project’s success.

Involving the community

Building on our work with community groups, we continue to involve people in helping us plant ‘their’ woodland. So far over 390 people have helped us plant 18,000 trees, survey for wildlife and maintain the heathland, clocking up over 1,000 volunteer

grasses, bracken, scrub and wild�owers having re-established across the site. Our ongoing open-space habitat management involves removal/control of invasive species and grazing by belted Galloway cattle and New Forest ponies.

A 50ha native broadleaved woodland (25ha of which is a designated Planted Ancient Woodland Site) has been planted to increase habitat diversity and ensure a productive, sustainable future for Foxbury through timber sales and wood products. Charcoal production has already started, and our volunteers have been using fa�ot cradles to process birch brash after rotational thinning of the young woodlands.

Our management is due to focus on Foxbury’s wetlands over the next few years, and how they are joined up with the adjacent Half Moon Common Site of Special Scienti�c Interest, which will form part of any future catchment management plan. Two large historic decoy ponds exist along the site of former valley mire that would have existed in Foxbury prior to human intervention – the value of these ponds will need to be assessed when we near the �rst phase of the works.

Renewing the New Forest: change and regeneration of heathlandJacob White, Area Ranger, New Forest, Hampshire

The National Trust is one of many landowners and over 100 interest groups and stakeholders which

manage the New Forest and in�uence decisions on its future. The forest is one of the best preserved and extensive pieces of lowland heathland in western Europe. Traditional farming techniques have produced a landscape teeming with wildlife. The diverse mosaic of interconnecting rare habitats supports some of the most protected wildlife in Europe, such as the Dartford warbler, nightjar, curlew, smooth snake, southern damsel�y, stag beetle, small �eabane and great crested newt.

Foxbury Plantation – now bi¤er, better and more joined up

With the purchase of Foxbury in 2006, a 150ha site of mixed evergreen plantation, the Trust began work to restore its lowland heathland and mixed deciduous woodland habitats. The site is on the edge of the New Forest next to a common we already owned, and has enabled us to reconnect an extensive area of the forest’s lost habitat.

Thirteen years on and Foxbury is once again rich in wildlife, with gorse, heather,

Belted Galloway cattle contribute to our open-space habitat. © National Trust Images/John Millar


the sweeping landscapes, rare wildlife spots and secluded woodlands of the New Forest within a private and easily accessible site. With a �ve-mile gravel track network, all-access compost toilet and permanent shelter o�ered by three wooden classrooms nestled in a woodland setting, we have the perfect safe space for relaxation and enjoyment of the natural world.

We have welcomed disabled ramblers, horse driving for the disabled, hearing dogs for the deaf and, most recently, Hampshire Arts for Recreation and Therapy (HART), which has used Foxbury as a green therapy tool to help students from local colleges su�ering with their mental health to gain future employment. One heart-warming story is that of a student who had never spoken in a public setting before, who, while working with HART in Foxbury, not only gained the con�dence to speak in public for the �rst time, but also managed to be interviewed and get a job.

Foxbury is a huge success story for the National Park Authority, not just through the regeneration of rare habitats and colonisation of wildlife, but also through its ability to provide solutions to some of the authority’s challenges and for involving members of the community from all walks of life through education, learning and volunteering.

To learn more about the National Lottery Heritage Fund project that has funded much of the infrastructure and habitat restoration, see ‘Moving back: the Foxbury heathland restoration project’ in Views, Issue 54, 2017.

study and university students who are using the site for dissertations and PhD studies. Our Community Ranger, Jen Sutton, also runs an annual programme of inspiring events and activities for explorer families and curious minds, where visitors can observe the protected wildlife that we are trying to conserve.

Everyone welcome

The New Forest can often be a challenging place in terms of accessibility for those who are physically less able or su�er from poor mental health. A busy open-access landscape, openly grazed with livestock, with few easily accessible pathways can seem like a daunting experience to many.

In Foxbury we have been able to o�er

days. We have worked alongside groups of children and young people such as the Prince’s Trust, the John Muir Award, scouts, cubs and local schools and colleges.

Seeing and learning �rst-hand

The New Forest is largely open access and receives an estimated 15 million day visits a year. Foxbury, which is not open access, is being used to help people, especially children, get outdoors and closer to nature through events connected to the historic culture, forest wildlife and the key messages of conservation and sustainability. We host a weekly Forest School, where under-�ves get involved in outdoor learning activities, local secondary schools undertaking environmental �eld

Next year our management focus will be on Foxbury’s wetlands and ponds. © National Trust Images/John Millar

Tree-planting at Foxbury. © National Trust Images/Dave Johnson


and ponies, whose complementary grazing styles support the development of habitats and dispersal of species. The project aimed to provide access for livestock between two lowland areas divided by a public highway, thereby creating a larger grazing block. This would allow the di�erent herds to express their family and social behaviours more naturally. Fragmentation of grazing areas was a constraint on this process, causing grazing pressure and restricting habitat development. A variety of solutions was considered and extensively consulted on, enabling local people to feel involved and listened to. The end result was an arched ‘green bridge’ constructed over the public highway, with vegetated earth banks helping it to blend into the landscape. The livestock herds – and wildlife – are now able to roam freely between the two areas, with the bridge connecting 300 hectares of land to an ancient part of the Trust’s wetland reserve.

Whether routine maintenance or a major project, changes brought about by building works can have implications for wildlife using that building. A recent project at The Vyne in Hampshire aimed to replace the roof coverings and rainwater goods and to repair damaged stone and brickwork. However, the roof was home to a number of bat species and their roosts, and both are protected by the Wildlife & Countryside Act. It was therefore essential to minimise any disturbance. During the feasibility stage, bat surveys were undertaken so that the work could be carefully programmed to avoid times when bats would be at their most vulnerable. This went hand-in-hand with physical measures such as the installation of bat ladders, which allowed them to climb through the insulation to the attics, and specially adapted ridge tiles for species which like to roost in the ridges. With support from an ecologist throughout the process, the project was completed with minimal disturbance to the bats.

Looking to the future

Remote sensing techniques o�er a non-invasive method of exploring and increasing our understanding of objects, buildings, landscapes and buried features. Such

recreate the urn and provided much-needed details for certain features. We have been able to add to the archive with images of the various stages of repair. The urn is now in its rightful place and is being monitored for any future signs of environmental damage.

Another recently published case study examines how an access project at Wicken Fen Nature Reserve will help to support biodiversity changes on the site. Wicken Fen, in Cambridgeshire, is one of the last surviving sedge fens in Britain. The Trust manages the site using free-ranging cattle

Looking at change and exploration in the National Trust Design GuidesKelly Dowdell and Adele Watt, Design Guide Team

The National Trust Design Guide collection is a fantastic set of case studies sharing best practice and

lessons learnt from a variety of building and landscape projects across the Trust. First established in 2005, this knowledge base was designed to help sta� save time and money, by drawing attention to aspects of previous building projects that had worked particularly well, as well as those that had not. Each case study covers key information about the project in three sections: preparation work, the work itself and the post-project review.

We have built an extensive internal collection of Design Guide case studies, categorised by building type, which are available through Acorn. A selection of these have been reviewed for an external audience and added to the Trust website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/building-design-guides

Since autumn 2018, newly published Design Guide case studies have been recon�gured to align more with the Trust’s Project Management Framework, which is a consistent and �exible structure for projects to follow to ensure they are delivered well.

Dealing with change in condition

The conditions and agents of change are particularly prevalent in our case study on the repairs to the 6th Earl of Coventry’s Monument Urn in Croome’s landscape park, Worcestershire. The urn was in a state of serious disrepair, having been in pieces at the base of its pedestal for several years, signi�cantly a�ected by damp and weather. It was the 6th Earl who transformed Croome Court and the surrounding parkland so the monument is of signi�cant historic importance to the property.

A substantial amount of work was needed in order to restore the stonework to its original form and improve the stability of the plinth and urn. The project aimed to repair and restore the monument by renovating and realigning the plinth, piecing back together fragments of the urn (much of it half-buried by undergrowth) and reinstalling the missing plaque. Archive documents proved extremely useful in helping to

The 6th Earl of Coventry’s urn, now fully restored and in place at Croome. © National Trust/Katherine Alker


through a thorough engagement plan which included the house sta� and volunteers putting together a list of ‘house questions’ for the contractors to answer plus volunteer workshops on areas such as gra®ti and markings around the house. As well as the more traditional photographic survey and drawn records, the survey also used a laser scan and aerial drone. For the property, the real challenge now begins in teasing out the key �ndings from the survey, and disseminating them in an engaging and relevant way to their visitors.

Take a look

The Design Guide case studies are an invaluable source of information on what has been done in previous Trust projects to help inform future tasks. Both the internal and external collection will continue to grow over the coming years as we share information on future projects: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/building-design-guides

gradiometry, multi-depth electromagnetic induction and ground-penetrating radar. The results were exceptional. While it was previously known that a monastic cemetery existed, its precise form (including aspects of its historical evolution) was not. The highly accurate data produced by this investigation revealed over 1,200 graves, laid out in regular rows but subtly di�erent alignments. From the results, the project team estimate there could be as many as 2,000 burials at Fountains Abbey.

Exploration was key to the historic building survey completed at Canons Ashby in Northamptonshire. The house is full of architectural oddities and puzzles, with concealed lost spaces, intriguing variations in �oor levels and iconography. In order to understand more about this quirky and complicated building, the property wanted to do a detailed historic building survey. The �ndings would add to our understanding of the signi�cance and chronolo� of the house, and inform future conservation work, interpretation and visitor engagement. The Canons Ashby approach provided opportunities for volunteer participation

techniques include laser scanning, ground-penetrating radar, drone imagery and LiDAR survey. The Trust is currently developing its approach to remote sensing and is putting together a series of Design Guide case studies on projects where remote sensing techniques have been applied.

The �rst of these to be published focuses on a geophysical investigation at Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire, one of the largest and best-preserved twelfth-century Cistercian monasteries in England. Ground-penetrating radar was used as part of a fascinating research project in collaboration with the University of Bradford and its partners. A range of techniques was used to derive data points that enabled the team to develop a 3D below-ground map of the areas to the east and west of the abbey.

Very little excavation work has been undertaken at Fountains Abbey owing to the highly sensitive nature of the site. Remote sensing therefore o�ered a rare opportunity to increase our understanding of its undisturbed archaeolo�. The team used a combination of technologies: earth resistance techniques, magnetic

An aerial drone view of Canons Ashby. © Museum of London Archaeolo�


One hundred years of change and 43 years of trying!Ray Hawes, Head of Forestry

The Forestry Commission was established in 1919 in recognition of the signi�cant risk posed by our

reliance on imported timber to pursue our war e�orts; it was essential that we create a reserve of home-grown timber for future requirements. Our organisations have had close links since the beginning. It was a committee chaired by the Rt Hon. Francis Acland MP which proposed setting up the Forestry Commission, and it was the Acland family who gifted the substantial Killerton and Holnicote estates to the National Trust.

Those of you with mathematical skills will have realised that 2019 is the centenary of the Forestry Commission, so it is

The woodland around Emmetts Garden, Kent, was devastated by the Great Storm in 1987; note the giant sequoia by the house. © National Trust/Mike Calnan

The same woodland at Emmetts, 20 years on. The giant sequoia now stands among trees that are a result of both planting and natural regeneration. © National Trust/Mike Calnan


both those which still comprised mostly native species – Ancient Semi-Natural Woods (ANSW) – and those on converted sites – Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS).

Between 1976 and 1989, in a previous job in south-east England, I had ‘proudly’ converted hundreds of acres of wonderful oak woodland and sweet chestnut coppice to Corsican pine plantations, using copious quantities of 2,4,5T herbicide to control competing native tree and shrub regeneration. This chemical may be more familiar to you by the name of ‘Agent Orange’, which was used aerially by the Americans during the Vietnam War to kill o� great swathes of jungle to expose the Vietcong. It was very e�ective, very nasty and, not surprisingly, is now banned. It was deemed necessary to use such methods to ‘control’ nature to achieve the desired 100 per cent commercial tree-stocking level.

By the early 1990s, the pendulum had swung and grant aid was being provided to restore these PAWS back to native woodlands, although obviously it is unlikely that they will ever recover to their former condition with all the original fauna and �ora. Was I a terrible person to do this and, if so, has my last 30 years with the Trust at least given me some redemption?

My defence is that around 40 years ago, the UK’s forest policy was still focused on maximising conifer timber production; landscape, wildlife and access was a sort of by-product of commercial management for most owners, and even to some extent at a number of Trust properties where traditional forestry was practised. However, the Trust did generally at least consider landscape as an important element and carried out only relatively small-scale fellings. The concept of ecosystem services was unknown or, if it was, it did not appear in the foresters’ lexicon.

Another factor which had a major in�uence in developing the Trust’s woodland policy was the Great Storm of October 1987 (those of you who know me are aware of my personal bedroom experience of this; those of you who don’t will �nd a picture of it above.

Much of the subsequent tree planting carried out to help restore a�ected woodlands was actually overwhelmed with more vigorous natural tree and shrub regeneration. This prompted my predecessor, David Russell, to think about how we work with the grain of nature/natural processes rather than trying to impose our

�rst proper forestry job, but I do not think the two were connected.

As well as planting its own land, the Government, through the Forestry Commission, also provided signi�cant grant aid and tax relief to private owners to plant ‘productive/commercial’ woodlands, and this continued until 1988 when the main tax incentive was removed. In addition to creating large areas of new plantations, the various �nancial incentives also led to the extensive felling of broadleaved woodlands, replaced with monocultures of mainly fast-growing conifers as well as, in some locations, timber-producing hardwoods such as oak, beech, ash, sweet chestnut and even southern beech from the southern hemisphere. The conversion of predominantly native woodlands and particularly ancient woodlands to conifers and other monocultures was obviously very damaging for wildlife and expensive to implement, and opposition to this became increasingly stronger. New blocks of conifers on previously bare hillsides were very unsympathetic to land form and were understandably disliked. Signi�cant areas of hybrid poplars were also planted for the match-making industry, chie�y in the southern and central lowlands.

Seeing the light

During the 1970s the Forestry Commission started to consider the e�ects of planting on the landscape and native woodlands. Finally, in the 1980s, it decided that native broadleaves should be better appreciated for the bene�ts they provide and particularly the unique value of ancient woodland sites,

appropriate to look at how the inception of this government organisation has in�uenced the management and appearance of our countryside, and how the simple original aim of creating a softwood timber reserve has changed over this time. I started my ‘forestry training’ in 1973, almost half the time the Forestry Commission has been in existence, and my last 30 years have been with the Trust.

The early years

At the beginning of the twentieth century, woodland cover in the UK was only around 5 per cent with most of this growing on private estates. The UK was heavily dependent on importing most of its timber requirements from around the world. Much of the country’s woodlands were signi�cantly depleted by the needs of the First World War and were left in poor condition.

The Forestry Commission bought huge areas of land in the 1920 and 1930s and planted predominantly non-native conifers; Kielder, the largest man-made forest in Europe, was started in 1926. Unfortunately the Second World War began before the newly planted trees had produced a su®cient reserve of timber to be drawn upon, so it was once more left to the privately owned woodlands to provide the majority of the timber requirements. This again had a signi�cant e�ect on their structure because most of the larger, better quality trees were removed.

After the war, and up until the 1970s, the Forestry Commission continued to buy land and plant trees. It also appointed its �rst female forester in 1976, the year I started my

One of the more ironic incidents of the Great Storm was my bedroom encounter with an oak. © Ray Hawes


Maturing gracefully

We know now how trees can improve the environment, including soil, air and water. We manage our woodlands primarily to bene�t nature and to maintain and improve landscape, access and recreation. We may remove trees as part of this management so one could say that wood is now a by-product of our other objectives, a 180-degree change from how it was. This is not to say that timber, wood fuel and other uses of cut wood are not important or contribute signi�cantly to our wider environmental aims, but it is no longer our main reason to grow or fell trees.

Another major change is how ancient and veteran trees are now valued: until fairly recently, not everybody appreciated how special and important they were. Again, much to my shame, I have been responsible for removing some which, with hindsight, should have remained.

What have I learnt during over 40 years of tree and woodland management? Basically that trees and woods have many di�erent values, including those which have recently been ‘discovered’, but the order

will on it. Areas of woodland that were not cleared also developed increased wildlife values, often due to the amount of standing and fallen deadwood, the value of which had perhaps not before been fully recognised by su®cient people.

The term ‘minimum intervention’ began to be used with respect to our woodland management, although it was frequently misunderstood as to mean ‘non-intervention’; in some places a lack of management over the past 20 years has resulted in less interesting woodlands. If we think about it, ‘woodland management’ started by using the natural regenerative processes of most broadleaved trees and shrubs when coppiced or pollarded, various materials being cut at the size or condition required. This continuous cycle often created ideal conditions for wildlife to thrive, and the end of these practices has impacted negatively on many species that depended on regular opening up and increased light. Incidentally, fencing material made from sweet chestnut usually lasts around 20 years – the time it takes for the coppice to grow back to the required size for it to be used again!

After maturing in the forest for centuries, trees (and foresters) often need propping up: me, a mere sapling, next to the 600-year-old 100 Guinea Oak at The Vyne, Hampshire. © National Trust/Tom Hill

of importance of these values changes over time and according to circumstances and it is impossible to maximise them all – compromise is necessary.

Also, every wood is di�erent in terms of its origins, what it is now and what it could be. It is also certain that if you try to achieve what currently appears to be the most important aim and manage accordingly, then by the time the trees have achieved this, something else will be required. We must therefore strive to keep future options open so that our successors can choose.

I’ve learned that working with nature can often be the best approach, but sometimes it needs a bit of help to achieve particular outcomes – knowing where and when to intervene is key. (Grey squirrels can make a grown forester weep.)

To conclude, has the Forestry Commission and/or my lifetime’s work with trees and woods been a good thing or not? I will leave this to others to decide!

60 Views Getting ready for change

the water leaving the kitchens runs at about 50oC from the sterilisers and dishwashers. The solution was relatively straightforward but so too were the risks.

A 1.5m section of drainpipe running vertically into the cellars from the kitchen was replaced with a 75mm copper pipe inside another copper pipe. Cold water is circulated in the space between the pipes when the hot water is detected in the drainpipe by sensor as the kitchen sent hot water down the drain. The cold water gains heat from the waste water and is then stored in something called a bu�er vessel until it is needed by the kitchen. The main risk of taking heat from waste kitchen water is that any grease suspended in it may, on cooling, settle before reaching the grease traps and consequently block the pipe; not a good thing in a busy kitchen. Twelve months of bench-testing and good grease management in the kitchen should resolve this risk: see www.dwr-uisce.eu/drain-water-heat-recovery/penrhyn-castle for the latest update.

Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant pump as turbine

One of the main challenges with a hydro-generating system, especially a small one (often called pico hydro if under 5kW), is that of cost vs bene�t. How can you lower the cost su®ciently to make the system viable without compromising e®ciency and quality, and also not increase the management time? After a kind donation to develop a small hydro with an educational element, we worked with the Trinity School of Engineering on using a relatively low-cost reverse-�ow water pump linked to a generator to make electricity from water taken from a stream: see www.dwr-uisce.eu/ty-mawr-wybrnant. (Incidentally, ‘Wybrnant’ translates as ‘viper stream’ because of the way it snakes down the valley.)

kitchens before the process started over again of warming cold water to the same state – there had to be a way to recover this ener�. The initial Dŵr Uisce vision looked at recovering ener� in the form of heat in the sewage system.

After 12 months of monitoring the septic tanks with various sensors, we learnt that most of the heat dissipated into the land in the 600m of pipe from the castle to the septic tank. Back to the drawing board! The solution came quickly when we saw that

Over the last 24 months the National Trust in Wales has been working with Bangor University in North Wales

and Trinity College Dublin on a multi-million pound project researching the recovery of ener� from water. The Trust is part of the steering group for the project, Dŵr Uisce (the words for ‘water’ in Welsh and Irish Gaelic, respectively), and is also hosting two of the demonstrator projects: one on heat recovery from waste water at Penrhyn Castle in Gwynedd and another on using a water pump as a hydro turbine at Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant, Conwy. Both projects are in the commissioning phases and are now in place, and data is �owing to test the �nancial and environmental case.

The purpose of the Trust being involved is two-fold: the organisation directly bene�ts from the projects in terms of specialist support and also equipment, but we are also helping to do the research and disseminating the lessons. The Trust’s advantage in these �elds is our invaluable ‘coal-face’ experience; this makes us attractive hosts for PhD research and I’m currently working with three PhD candidates on projects which will have wide bene�ts. The UK has committed to a 100% cut in carbon emissions by 2050, following advice from the Committee on Climate Change. The Trust supports this target in principle and these projects have a small part to play in realising this ambition. They deliver carbon reductions but also �nancial bene�t to the participating properties.

Penrhyn Castle heat recovery

Penrhyn Castle, via the Trust’s Renewable Ener� Investment (REI) project, had spent over £400,000 making its water warm with a new biomass system. Some of this water was going down the sinks of bathrooms and

Sewage, grease, bibles and turbines: ener� recovery research in the National TrustKeith Jones, Climate Change Adviser

Getting ready for change

You can’t see it, but these simple yet functional copper pipes are harvesting heat from the drain in Penrhyn Castle. © National Trust/Keith Jones

Views 61 Getting ready for change

needs (4kW site load and so a 4kW pump as turbine was installed). When it rains a lot, the humidity increases but the hydro generates the most amount of electricity, which is directly fed to the house to feed the electric radiators used to manage the humidity. Perfect match (we hope!) and any excess electricity from the site is directed to the hot-water tank of the custodian’s house which is on the same circuit.

The future?

We hope the lessons from the two systems will be used at many other Trust sites and in other areas, such as by our neighbours and partners. For example, most Trust farms have access to �owing water from streams, as do many Trust o®ces. We have 12 months of monitoring the performance and seeing if the ‘real’ performance matches the paper performance.

In May we had a visit from Professor Prasoom Dwivedi from India as part of an International National Trusts Organisation-partnered programme. He was looking at Tŷ Mawr’s hydro system as one of the options for the 15,000 old water mills in a small part of India. Time will tell how well water and electricity systems in North Wales �ow to di�erent parts of the world.

the pipe) was fabricated by a local welder, the weir was made from a new agricultural shed concrete panel and the turbine building (posh word for small shed) was milled from estate larch. The project was overseen by the Trust’s Building Surveyor Emyr Hall. The only area where we could not reduce costs was on the statutory consents but that is another article in itself.

Why Tŷ Mawr? We had noticed that the site was increasing its electricity use. This electricity is used to manage the relative humidity inside the house to conserve the contents and large collection of historic bibles. The hydro was matched to the site’s

In essence, simple, but one of the inherent risks of using a pump as a turbine is loss of e®ciency: pumps don’t like a di�ering �ow which is the nature of a stream. The clever bit that the university has been developing is a programme which compares each stream’s theoretical �ow rate and then matches it to a speci�c ‘pump as turbine’; on paper, the pump selected for the site should return an e®ciency of 80% which compares well to turbines �ve times the price of a low-cost pump. In this cost-conscious vein, the main contractor was a local agricultural contractor, the pipe came from the builders’ merchant, the intake (where the water enters

Above: The small turbine building at Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant. © National Trust/Keith Jones

Left: Pump as turbine (in the foreground) inside the turbine building at Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant. © National Trust/Keith Jones


property level with an initial focus on three case studies: the Migneint peatlands in Conwy, Abergwesyn Common in mid-Wales and Chirk Castle near Wrexham. Using these sites, and the most recent Met O®ce climate-change projections (UKCP18), I will be able to identify the bi�est threats to them in relation to upland species, the provision of peat bogs and individual mature parkland trees. I am also developing an interactive tool for use by Trust sta� at a property level which will identify how climate change could a�ect their assets, to guide adaptive management planning and facilitate the interactions of expert knowledge, past management and future predictions.

activities (Haustein et al, 2019). The Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii records the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which exceeded 415ppm (parts per million) in the atmosphere in May 2019; stable levels before the nineteenth century were around 300ppm.

Besides temperature increases, precipitation patterns have been altered and larger, more destructive storms are becoming more frequent. Change is projected to continue, with general predictions towards warmer wetter winters, hotter drier summers and more extremes of temperature and weather events (Lowe et al, 2018). This will a�ect all life on Earth and in particular those species and habitats already under threat from persecution, trade, disease, invasive species, historical management practices or due to having very speci�c life-stage requirements.

My project aims to identify how climate change will a�ect the Trust at the site and

Change is afoot: how to plan for a future of unpredictabilityLucia Watts, PhD researcher, Bangor University

I am studying for a PhD at Bangor University in collaboration with the National Trust to investigate how climate change will impact

its properties in Wales. I’m working closely with Keith Jones (National Specialist on Climate Change), Trystan Edwards and Dewi Davies (Migneint peatlands, Ysbyty Ifan), Paul Boland and Joe Da�ett (Abergwesyn Common), and Shane Logan and Carl Green (Chirk Castle). This article gives an introduction to the project, outlining the three case-study properties in question.

What is my research?

Climate change will have, and is already having, a signi�cant e�ect on the planet. Average temperatures have risen by nearly 1oC since pre-industrial times (IPCC, 2018), an increase that is unprecedented and in�uenced predominantly by anthropogenic

The Trust is restoring peatlands, such as this blanket bog on the Migneint, which act as vital ecosystems, from providing habitat to being important carbon sinks. © National Trust Images/John Miller


requirements (‘climate space’) and are therefore vulnerable to change. Populations of golden plover have already reduced greatly, possibly due to a change in the stocking density, leading to reduced grazing and a smaller number of the open, scrubby peat areas that plovers prefer. Using species distribution models, suitable climate space for the upland bird community will identify areas that may continue to be or become suitable for these birds to inhabit. This could drive habitat management to areas where the birds will be able to thrive, in order to preserve and support a healthy population of the plover as well as a diverse upland bird community.

Chirk CastleCompleted in 1310, Chirk Castle has over 480 hectares (1,186 acres) of parkland, with broadleaf trees in situ for the past 300 years. The site is important not only for

the valley below. The project aims to �nd out how the extent of the peatland will change under a variety of future climate scenarios, and the implications for carbon sequestration rates, �ood protection and habitat diversity. Understanding where the most ‘at risk’ areas of the bog are, will hopefully target management to protect what may potentially be lost. In addition, it will be interesting to compare the potential change in extent of the relatively healthy peat bog on the Ysbyty Ifan estate to that on Abergwesyn Common, for which restoration is being planned.

Abergwesyn CommonAbergwesyn Common is an upland common that has been historically grazed and is recognised as an important habitat for the golden plover and a number of other upland bird species, including dunlin and curlew. These species have very speci�c habitat

Why is this research important?

The Trust is at the heart of millions of people’s love for nature, the outdoors and heritage. In order for these places to remain the diverse, beautiful and inspiring places they are today, we need to understand how they may come under threat over the next century. We have never experienced change on the scale already occurring, and could see average temperature increases up to 4.5oC higher than pre-industrial levels (IPCC, 2014), which will have catastrophic consequences on the planet. In order to preserve the natural world, resilient and diverse ecosystems supported by adaptive, forward-thinking management need to be created and maintained. Management decisions must be based on predictions for the next 10–50 years in order for ecosystems to be able to make the slow changes required.

The natural world is in a state of uncertainty. Future impacts are uncertain and based on a range of plausible scenarios, depending on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted over the next 100 years. But these projections do provide a good idea of the range of expected change, from the best- to worst-case scenarios. Using the projections, we are able to visualise what will happen depending on whether emissions are reduced or continue to increase, and if certain adaptation and mitigation strategies are put into place. Visualising these alternative futures enables conservationists to plan management decisions by identifying the greatest risks to their sites and properties, and adjusting conservation strategies, while still protecting what is there now.

Case studies

Migneint, Ysbyty IfanPeat bogs are vital ecosystems, from providing habitat for rare species to being important carbon sinks. The Migneint peatland in the Upper Conwy catchment has been degraded through historical draining and overgrazing. Over the past decade, Trust projects to re-wet and restore the peatland have been overwhelmingly successful. The habitat supports a range of sphagnum mosses present only in healthy bogs, and carbon that was once lost through drying is being sequestered. A healthy peat bog also provides �ood protection to villages downstream, in particular Penmachno in

The golden plover is susceptible to changes to its habitat and on Abergwesyn Common its populations have reduced greatly. © National Trust Images/Douglas Holden


a�ecting the Trust across Wales for either the three case study sites above or similar sites and would like to share this with me, please contact me on [email protected], or give me a ring on 01248 382460.

ReferencesHaustein, K., et al. (2019). ‘A limited role for unforced internal variability in 20th century warming’. Journal of Climate, JCLI-D-18-0555.1. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0555.1IPCC (2014). Chapter Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers. Retrieved from www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/AR5_SYR_FINAL_SPM.pdfIPCC, 2018: Summary for Policymakers. In: Global warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and e�orts to eradicate poverty [V. Masson-Delmotte, et al (eds.)]. World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 32 pp.Lowe, J. A., et al, (2018). UKCP18 Science Overview Report. Met O®ce, Exeter.

to change can in�uence management when planning conservation or replacing individual trees.

What next?

I want to provide a straightforward and useful tool that will highlight the climate-change impacts at site level to explore future changes over a range of variables. The ability to access this information will mean that climate-change e�ects may be more easily incorporated into management decision-making. Through understanding the impacts of future change, sites, properties and associated habitats and species can be managed to increase resilience to change and ensure Trust places that are loved by many can be enjoyed for ever, by everyone.

Would you like to be involved?

If you have any ideas/data/information/observations about changing climates

the heritage surrounding the parkland, but also for biodiversity with internationally important populations of invertebrates and a high diversity of fungi. Due to close proximity between access roads and mature parkland trees, the site closes when wind speeds are high, a�ecting visitors and sta�. If the current south-westerly prevailing wind shifts slightly and there is a small increase in its speed, wind power increases signi�cantly. This would increase the potential risk from tree fall, and see the castle close more often. Understanding the vulnerability of individual mature parkland trees to alterations in wind power will update the level of risk the site faces from changes in wind strength and whether the thresholds will be exceeded more frequently. Additionally, knowing how di�erent tree species will be susceptible

Chirk has many mature parkland trees, this one by the gatehouse and entrance gates. The estate closes when weather conditions indicate high winds. © National Trust/Andrew Butler


guarantees there is no obstacle for water to run down while eroding fertile soil. Compacted soil means that water in�ltration is no longer possible, exacerbating its downward �ow. The consequent annual �ooding in the lowlands causes major disruption and losses (economic, social, political) all around the UK.4

The English landscape is an instance of, on the one hand, the production and design of landscapes driven by economics, and on the other, the lack of engagement and opportunity for landscape-oriented designers to use their skills to understand the spatial impacts of such economic policies and advocate alternative arrangements for such challenges.5 The former reduces landscapes solely to pro�t-driven spaces, and the latter provides an opportunity for a re-engagement of professionals in landscape-scale design.

Here, it is important to clarify the potential expanded role of design. Whereas conventional approaches see the role of

climate, how do we see and experience our relationship, and from which or whose perspectives is the relationship designed?

The role of design at a landscape scale

Design can play a crucial role when dealing with large-scale landscapes on which the so-called urban areas depend,3 e.g. rural environments, eco systems, infrastructural and productive landscapes, metropolitan regions, etc. Designers can make a di�erent and more meaningful impact, far beyond small-scale architecture; at these larger scales of intervention, the landscape can be shaped by economic policies, political decisions and engineering solutions.

The idyllic, green, rolling – and bare – hills that we recognise as a typical ‘English’ upland landscape are an example of landscapes shaped through economic policies. As a result of the Common Agricultural Policy, uplands are kept free of trees to incentivise (through a loose use of public subsidies) farming and agricultural activities seen as enhancing the economic prosperity of the land. But lack of vegetation

Designing with nature in a warming planet: AA Landscape Urbanism1 and the Agency of DesignJose Alfredo Ramirez and Clara Oloriz, GroundLab and Architectural Association

In his science �ction novel New York 2140, Kim Stanley Robinson imagines New York partially �ooded, after two large �ood

events, due to global warming in 2140.2 New York becomes a mega-Venice, radically transforming its local geography, and with it, the social, political, �nancial and ecological relations between its inhabitants, the metropolis and the planet.

This extreme, though not unfeasible, scenario serves as a backdrop for Robinson to re-think a long-term, alternative future for New York, merging his deep knowledge of science with his ability to produce visions through written �ction. For Robinson, science �ction functions as a department of planning, with its ability to envision futures based on credible guidelines. The imaginative element within science �ction is a source of inspiration for landscape-oriented designers who work on o�ering alternatives to the temporal problems and challenges of a warming planet. Traditionally, landscape painting and garden design have put forward visions of imagined future relationships between nature and society, but, in the twenty-�rst century, how do we relate to a world with a changing

Frequent �ooding events around Sandwich and Wantsum Channel, Kent. © GroundLab/Architectural Association


architectural design as the �nal touch of the planning process – in the form of buildings – we envisage design as a mechanism to orchestrate, choreograph and negotiate alternative relations between large-scale environmental and urbanisation processes. Like science �ction, this o�ers potentially radical visions for planning policies. In short, instead of seeing design proposals framed within existing policies, we see them fundamentally involved in the production of new policies, so the visual and spatial consequences are understood from the moment the policies are created and discussed, and not afterwards.

The involvement of designers in this type of project encourages closer dialogues and debates between di�erent disciplines (geography, economy, ecolo�, political science, etc.) and realms (economic, social, cultural and political frameworks), highlighting the unique capabilities of design to visualise potentially radical futures. To do this, we have developed a methodolo� within the Landscape Urbanism Masters Programme at the Architectural Association (AA) in London and collaborated with various UK institutions and think tanks, including the National Trust.6 Our methodolo� seeks to integrate critical thinking with practice, such as cartographic representation, geomorphological and interactive simulations and GIS mapping, all of which are widely available in geographical research but relatively untapped within design disciplines.

Coastal Futures

‘Coastal Futures’ is an AA Landscape Urbanism project thesis that puts forward an alternative future for the landscapes of Sandwich, Kent, in which the National Trust has signi�cant interest through its properties at Sandwich and Pegwell Bay. Developed by Valeria Garcia and Yunya Tang, the project is framed by the conditions of a warming planet where rising sea levels and stronger storms caused by climate change will exacerbate land erosion, disrupting coastal landscapes, infrastructure, towns and economies. Coastal Futures designs a policy for managed realignment that works alongside nature, agricultural communities and the socio-economic conditions of the area.

Garcia and Tang propose the use of tidal dynamics and coastal erosion, caused by storms and surge conditions, to develop �ood-absorbing tidal creeks. It is not a form of letting nature �ood this inhabited land, but of re-thinking our relationship with nature based on the existing and historical conditions and focusing on the

Fig. 1. Sequence of maps of the Sandwich area describing, from left to right, top: existing land uses; �ooding simulation; and bottom: policy guidelines of water storage; potential scenario of tidal creeks deployment. © GroundLab/Architectural Association. © Crown Copyright and database right 2019. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey licence number AL 100018591

Fig. 2. England’s coastal pro�le after rising sea levels due to global warming. The cartography represents meteorological surge conditions, with pales areas around rivers, coast and estuaries indicating high �ood risk zone. © GroundLab/Architectural Association. © Crown Copyright and database right 2019. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey licence number AL 100018591


transformation process. Fig. 1 reconciles existing land uses and �ooding risk to design a series of conditions in each plot, where future productive activities shift from agriculture to aquaculture. This scenario accepts and embraces the cultural and social implications of necessary infrastructural transformations in Sandwich, building the foundations for a gradual change in the socio-economic conditions of isolated coastal communities in southern England which are deeply a�ected both by London’s centralisation7 and climate emergency.

With the help of Caesar-Lis�ood, a geomorphological and landscape evolution

model with the capacity to simulate rivers and tidal dynamics, and based on human and nature interaction in Sandwich, Garcia and Tang simulated the �ooding and creation of tidal creeks. They simulated how long it takes for a creek to emerge in each site and be ready for the introduction of aquaculture activities, following the introduction of landscape techniques – such as the construction of channels and dykes – to tri�er, accelerate and control creek formation. To �nance these interventions, they used the existing �ve-year governmental �ooding fund for the initial infrastructure (dredging and dykes),

which was continued and expanded by low-maintenance natural tidal formations. The agricultural plots taken over by the creek formation are gradually transformed into �sh farms, hybrid agriculture, town services and local infrastructure. The tidal-creek simulations become a generative tool that is developed and adapted by the physical requirements but also by the speci�c social purposes that condition the simulated formation of the creeks.

The degree to which structures and access will be a�ected are shown in visual renderings of the daily tidal transformations. These visualisations and the long-term

Fig 3. Aerial view of the Wantsum Channel after the implementation of Tidal Creeks landscapes. © GroundLab/Architectural Association. © Crown Copyright and database right 2019. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey licence number AL 100018591


explained the Trust’s agenda and approaches) to develop a proposal for Formby sand dunes, with the New Economics Foundation, using its economics proposal to inform the design of our students, and with the British Geological Survey, using its numeric models to simulate landscape dynamics.

7. Jennings, W., Brett, W., Bua, A. & Laurence, R., 2017. Cities and towns: the 2017 general election and the social divisions of place, London: New Economics Foundation NEF.

8. Malm, A., 2018. The progress of this storm: nature and society in a warming world [ebook reader], London and New York: Verso.

9. Oloriz Sanjuan, C., 2019. Landscape as Territory, New York and Barcelona: Actar (forthcoming).

10. Reid, H., 2008. Isle of Thanet. [Online] Available at: www.bbc.co.uk/kent/content/articles/2006/05/15/thanet_history_feature.shtml [Accessed 12 12 2018].

About the authors

Jose Alfredo Ramirez is an architect co-founder and director of Groundlab (http://groundlab.org/) and co-director of the Landscape Urbanism MArch/MSc Graduate Programme at the Architectural Association (http://landscapeurbanism.aaschool.ac.uk/). Jose Alfredo has been part of the development of projects at the junction of architecture, landscape and urbanism in a variety of contexts in the UK, China, Mexico, Spain, Russia and Chile, among others. He works mainly on the large-scale development of public spaces, such as the Olympic Master Plan for London 2012 and the recent redevelopment of 12km of Santiago de Chile’s main avenue, Alameda/Providencia, into an integral transport and urban corridor. He has published several articles and books, both in English and Spanish, and lectures on the topic of Landscape Urbanism and the work of Groundlab worldwide.

Clara Olóriz is a research and practising architect, a studio master for the Architectural Association Landscape Urbanism programme and director of Groundlab London. She has taught at the University of Navarra, Leeds Beckett and other universities worldwide. She developed her international PhD at the AA and University of Navarra’s Higher Technical School of Archictecture on the relationship between technolo� and architecture. Clara has contributed to several congresses, magazines and books related to innovations in landscape architecture, territory and research. Her forthcoming book, Landscape as Territory, is supported by AA Publications Fellowship and the Graham Foundation.

the spine for its future development and an alternative response to coastal �ooding through time. This represents an example of the Landscape Urbanism project that understands the contemporary conditions of a warming planet, the necessity of rede�ning our relationship with nature rather than controlling it and the advantage of using new technologies in dialogue with the socio-economic conditions of existing landscapes and communities.

References1. AA Landscape Urbanism is a Postgraduate

Master Programme at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. It o�ers two degrees: MSc in Landscape Urbanism and MArch in Landscape Urbanism.

2. Robinson, K.S., 2017. New York 2140. Orbit Publishers.

3. ‘So-called urban areas’ because we believe ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ are arti�cial labels that merely distinguish levels of the same urbanisation process. The food, materials and resources that cities need are extracted from rural environments, and in this sense what we called ‘rural’ (dispersed urbanisation) is intrinsically part of the urbanisation process. Cities (urbanisation a�lomerations) would not exist without the rural, and the rural would not be exploited and shaped as such without the constant needs of cities. See Brenner, N., Schmid, C. (2014) ‘The “urban age” in question’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 38 (3), pp. 731–55.

4. Monbiot, G., 2016. How Did We Get Into this Mess?: Politics, Equality, Nature, Verso Books.

5. Oloriz, C., Ramirez, A., ‘Beyond Land: Towards a Territorial Praxis’, Kerb Journal of Landscape Architecture, (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technolo�), Issue 24, 2018.

6. The AA Landscape Urbanism has collaborated with the National Trust (Phil Dyke generously

erosion processes question the way we depict our �xed notions of land on conventional maps. As historical research reveals, time and nature are making a ‘come back’ in the area.8 The now �ood-prone River Wantsum area was once the navigable Wantsum Channel that separated the Isle of Thanet from the mainland in Roman times. As described in Landscape as Territory9 and seen in Fig. 2:

Historically, the various processes of re-territorialisation … have fabricated an infrastructural palimpsest, dependent on geomorphological conditions, from the shipping activities in the Roman Wantsum Channel, to the silting and land reclamation in the Middle Ages, to the proposed future scenario of creek landscapes of Coastal Futures. The channels built in Sandwich to prevent the �nal silting of the port … in the eighteenth century were momentarily materialised in the great �ood of 195310, and virtually in the �ooding-risk maps.

The overlapping of these combinations between nature and society has produced, as a consequence, the landscape we see and experience today which are the grounds on which we can re-think our relationship with nature and time.

Coastal Futures wove social conditions, productive economies and administrative regulations with existing governmental funding for �ooding zones and insurance policies to devise a di�erent future. The expanded water infrastructure serves as

An aerial view of the existing landscape around the Watsum Channel for comparison. © Google Earth


levels rise well above predicted levels (water depths may rise to over 2m depth above the salt-marsh surface), wave heights will reduce by more than 15% over only a 40m distance.1 Where the surfaces are heavily dissected by creeks, as on much of the island, this reduction can be expected to exceed this value by some margin, at least for large/long waves, as these refract and di�ract over the complex salt-marsh surface, e�ectively scattering their ener� and leading to greater losses through wave breaking. This all means a small fraction of the wave and tidal ener� reaches the inner part of the salt marsh and so the land.

current into a longer northern (Collier’s Reach) and shorter southern (Southey Creek) component; the southern �ow is restricted at low-water depths by the causeway, which drives the main channel to �ow along Collier’s Reach.

The marshes of Northey also act as natural wave bu�ers. When inundated, salt marshes have been shown to signi�cantly reduce waves travelling across them; the wide (up to around 1km) salt marsh at Northey can reduce wave ener� to an insigni�cant amount by the time waves reach the land under most tidal conditions. Even during a storm surge when water

Preparing for change: Northey Island Coastal Adaptation Strate�Daniel Le�ett, Coastal Projects Manager

Northey Island, within the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, is of key historic, ecological and geomorphological

importance. The island and its causeway to the mainland was the location of the AD991 Battle of Maldon between the local Saxons and invading Vikings.

Signi�cant land reclamation in the early eighteenth century enlarged the island’s (land) size, but subsequent breaches of the earthen banks returned reclaimed land back to 90ha of marshland in 1897. A few attempts to repair the banks were made but these were �nally given up in 1924 after repeated failure. About 20ha of higher land on the island remained, protected by new embankments. These are, in turn, now at the end of their lifespan owing to rising sea level. As part of our Coastal Adaptation Strate� we are developing a detailed understanding of this special environment and working in close partnership with Dr Iris Möller and Dr Ben Evans of the Department of Geography at Cambridge University. This essay re�ects their research and contribution to a monitoring programme that can be repeated in the future to quantify change and evaluate the e�ects of our adaptation measures.

Natural systems

The tidal �at and marsh habitats characteristic of the island provide a wide range of ‘ecosystem services’. The marshes regulate nutrient exchange with positive e�ects on �sh populations and improvement to water quality, and their continued vertical growth allows for atmospheric carbon capture and storage over time. The salt marshes themselves provide a unique set of salt-tolerant plants and associated invertebrates, and provide a place for birds to roost, feed and, on the few higher areas, to breed.

The physical presence of Northey as a land form within the Blackwater Estuary strongly in�uences tidal and river �ows within the constrained estuarine water body. Together with Osea Island to its east, Northey acts as a barrier around which the rising and falling tide has to negotiate its path. Northey’s presence splits the tidal

Map of Northey Island showing the causeway in Southey Creek. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown Copyright and database right 2019. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey licence number AL 100018591

Fig. 1: Mean sea-level rise at Felixstowe tide gauge, relative to 1981–2000 baseline for the lowest emissions scenario (projected global warming of 1.6°C by 2081–2100). © Met O®ce


be measured in detail. The application of these monitoring techniques, coupled with expert interpretation, allows us to monitor the e�ectiveness of measures we apply to coastal adaptation. We will be able to repeat monitoring exercises in the future to see how we are doing in 2, 5, 10, 50 or even 100 years’ time.

Conclusion

Our work at Northey Island illustrates the value of state-of-the-art scienti�c observation (including the use of telemetered water level and wave data capture and low-level drones) coupled with expert advice for monitoring, interpretation and analysis; Cambridge University has these skills and experience in abundance at an international level.

The work can help our thinking in respect of other locations where a better understanding of the natural environment around a Trust coastal property is needed. Such understanding is essential to inform our 100-year Coastal Adaptation Strate� for Northey Island which aims to manage sea-level rise and climate-change impacts to retain the important salt-marsh habitat whilst not negatively impacting on surrounding areas. We will provide further information as it comes to light over the next few years that the Northey Island Coastal Adaptation Strate� (Phase 1) will run.

Reference1. Möller et al (2014). ‘Wave attenuation over

coastal salt marshes under storm surge conditions’, Nature Geoscience, Vol. 7, pp. 727–31. doi:10.1038/ngeo2251; see also: www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/salt-marsh-plants-key-to-reducing-coastal-erosion-and-�ooding

2. Met O®ce UK Climate Projections: www.meto®ce.gov.uk/research/collaboration/ukcp

Through the monitoring undertaken by the university, we have been able to show how Northey Island controls local water levels in the estuary. As the tide �rst rises, the topography and vegetation of its marsh surfaces delay water moving up-estuary, with higher water levels stacking up on the eastern side of the salt marsh and slowing the tide upstream (see Fig. 2). Over the course of the tide, the water level reaches an equilibrium (almost at an instant) and the general pattern then reverses on the ebb tide. Water is held up in the salt marsh and thus slows the release of it so that it drains in the latter stages of the ebb tides around the island.

We also discovered that the e�ect of the island on the �ow of the tide varies with the height of the tide, which varies on natural cycles, wind and atmospheric pressure conditions. Detailed drone imagery allows us to map surface elevations to within millimetres, enabling the e�ect of tidal �ows on sediment deposition to

Understanding tidal �ows

As Northey Island, its salt marshes, tidal �ats and constructed earthen banks are exposed to continuously changing environmental conditions, it is critically important for management of the island to understand the precise nature of tidal �ows through surrounding and internal channels and creeks as well as how exposed the island is to waves and how these are bu�ered by the salt marsh. Work to gain this understanding is supported by a grant from Defra through its Natural Flood Management Fund.

Future sea-level rise and altered climatic conditions will inevitably a�ect Northey; through our Futurecoast predictions, we are planning for around 1m of sea-level rise over the next century but the most recent UKCP18 work increases that predicted rise to 1.13m.2 Even the most conservative predictions of climate-change impacts on the East Coast su�est a rise in sea level of between 0.3 and 0.7m by 2100 (see Fig. 1). Detailed knowledge of the likely e�ects of such altered environmental conditions on the geomorpholo� of the area is a prerequisite for the sustainable management of its many bene�ts to the environment and for the Trust.

Over the past year, Cambridge University has measured waves and tides at several locations (see Fig. 2) around the salt marshes, as well as surveying surface elevation and vegetation with a multi-spectral drone. This has allowed us to visualise the impact of climate change through aerial imagery, obtain detailed topography and look at surface roughness, measure the near infrared spectra to estimate the health of vegetation, and build a picture of how important Northey Island currently is and how this importance might change in the future.

Fig 2. Water-level rise and fall in the west (heavy line) with accompanying water-level slope (positive slope means higher water levels in the east of the island). © National Trust/Daniel Le�ett

Wave and tide monitoring station on the eastern shore of Northey Island. © National Trust/Daniel Le�ett

Drone being programmed prior to take-o�. © National Trust/Daniel Le�ett


the 2004 event would still out�ank the built scheme. (A 1:400 chance means it is less likely but will be bi�er than a 1:100 �ood alleviation scheme is designed to cope with. There is a cost vs bene�t ratio when deciding what scenario to design for, and anything more than a 1:100 scheme would be tricky to construct within the con�nes of a village in a narrow valley. Conveniently a 1:100 scheme is also the standard the Association of British Insurers aims for when insuring houses.)

It was easy for the Trust to see the reasons behind the more natural approach to �ood alleviation but incredibly hard to convince the Environment Agency’s engineers – it didn’t seem to ‘�t the book’ and was a huge change from what they were used to – even when their own biodiversity team were supportive of our approach.

The coppicing regime for riverside trees aimed to address the potential issue of large trees being carried by �ood waters towards the village. The coppiced root system gives an additional bene�t by helping to bind the soil, thereby reducing the amount of silt and sediment available to be washed downstream.

Agency began to draw up a potential �ood alleviation scheme. The recovery after the �ood took many years and involved many individuals, emergency services, agencies, councils, NGOs, contractors and landowners, such as the National Trust.

Changing someone else’s idea

The initial scheme was an engineer’s dream – clear all trees within a kilometre upstream of the village, build a trash screen across the valley and put a concrete-sided river channel through the village.

The Trust’s strong opposition eventually changed this to a very di�erent scheme – bankside trees would be coppiced for a kilometre upstream and other trees within the 1:100 year �oodplain1 would be retained; there would be a deposition zone, i.e. a site to where soil and debris would wash down and be held, before the village; and within the village, the river channel would be deepened and widened and banks would be stone-faced to match existing walls.

It has to be noted the 2004 event was rated as a 1:400 chance of happening in any one year whilst the �ood alleviation scheme is a 1:100 scheme, the standard that the Environment Agency aim for, so a repeat of

Going with the �owJe� Cherrington, Lead Ranger, North Cornwall

What caused the ‘change’?

Boscastle sits on the North Cornwall coast at the bottom of a short incised valley centred around a picturesque Elizabethan harbour. The River Valency �ows into the harbour after a 3km (1.86 miles) wander through a wooded valley. It is usually a babbling brook for most of the year though a period of rain might raise the level of the stream from ankle deep to knee deep.

In August 2004 all that changed: a summer storm sat over the river catchment area for four hours and dropped two million tonnes of water. The water ran at up to 10m/s (i.e. sprinting 100 metres in 10 seconds) bringing with it 20 years’ worth of sediment, as well as washing over a thousand trees and more than one hundred cars out to sea.

The Valency Valley is a rapid-reacting catchment, meaning that usually, within an hour after rainfall, the stream in the village will have risen to its peak �ow. In 2004 there was no advance warning of the �ood to come, which makes it all the more amazing there was no loss of human life, especially as it was August and a busy visitor destination.

The village had �ooded before but not to this extent and as part of the looking-forward process the Environment

Boscastle on 17 August 2004, one day after the �oods. © National Trust


with �ood alleviation (as promoted in the Environment Agency’s own strate� ‘Making Space for Water’) has gathered pace over the past 15 or so years and it is encouraging to see this being included in and expanded upon in other places, e.g. Holnicote in Somerset and the Stroud Valleys Catchment Project.

Although the �ood alleviation scheme has changed the layout of the village, the Trust’s in�uence has meant that it settles into the landscape to the point where visitors to the area frequently ask: ‘It looks the same as before the �ood, what have you done to stop it happening again?’ We take that as praise indeed.

References

1. Flood events are typically expressed in terms of their predicted interval of occurrence, so a 1:100-year �ood is one that has a 1% chance of happening in any year or a 25% chance of happening at least once over a 25-year period. A 1:100 �ood scheme is designed to cope with the annual 1% chance.

Building Speci�cations for Youth Hostel, Harbour Restaurant/Bottreaux Court, Lime Kiln, Wardens Workshop, Rocket Store, Harbour View. National Trust Building Department, Devon and Cornwall Region 2004–7; unpublished.

Environment Agency/CIRIA Advice sheets; www.ciria.org.uk/�ooding

Flooding in Boscastle and North Cornwall, August 2004: Phase 1 and Phase 2 Studies Report. HR Wallingford Ltd, 2004 and 2005; unpublished.

River Valency Catchment Management Strate� (Halcrow, Environment Agency, March 2007; unpublished).

Mott, N., Managing Woody Debris in Rivers and Streams (Sta�ordshire Wildlife Trust, Sta�ord, 2005).

Skinner and Haycock, Lasting legacy of the Boscastle Flood. ECOS, vol. 27, pp. 82–9 (British Association of Nature Conservationists, 2006).

Lessons learnt and work in progress

The Environment Agency continues to be involved through monitoring of the build-up of sediment in the braided section, the potential development of a �ood-warning system and assisting with the soft engineering by coppicing on a neighbour’s land.

The braided section continues to receive low levels of sediment, and it was initially thought there would be a need for mechanical removal when a ‘tri�er point’ was reached. This has changed to monitoring levels only as the occasional heavy rainfall seems to mobilise some sediment and transports it to the sea, so that levels �uctuate over time, without needing intervention.

The Environment Agency’s �ood monitoring and emergency planning teams have been interested in developing a �ood-warning scheme for rapid-reacting catchments and have been hydrometrically monitoring how the Valency catchment reacts to �ow events. Current signs are that it is still di®cult to predict accurately when a �ood might be expected and to give su®cient warning. It might be possible to give a warning in the order of minutes with a degree of certainty but to extend this to an order of hours would mean the number of false alerts would increase to a level where people could lose faith in the system and increasingly ignore the warnings.

Coppicing continues in the valley; initially this was on a strict rotation of ‘coppice cells’ but this has changed to coppicing areas only when trees reach 5m in height. (The height limit is guided by the span of a bridge in the village of 7.5m, so if a tree did happen to be carried in a future �ood it should pass under the bridge without causing an obstruction.)

The approach of ‘soft engineering’ to help

Upstream of the village a broad braided section was created where, in the event of another big �ood event, the water would slow up and drop some sediment before �owing through the village. This is a widened section of channels and islets which allows storm �ows to spill across it. As the water spreads, it slows down and consequently loses some of the sediment. In 2004, the �rst place the sediment could drop out of the water was in the village itself, which is why it caused so much of the damage

The issue of vehicles being carried by �ood waters has been addressed by moving the public car park away from the riverside and raising the land (using the sediment/stone deposited within the village by the 2004 �ood). This was facilitated by the Trust changing its policy and allowing development to take place on what was previously an area of green space used to restrict development from creeping along the Valency Valley.

Common sense in buildings

The �ood changed perceptions among householders to do what they could to make their own properties more �ood tolerant instead of relying on outside agencies. The Trust also took on this message during the renovation/refurbishment of its 11 buildings a�ected by the �ood. Various measures were included such as converting suspended �oors to solid ones, raising electrical sockets and wiring, installing non-return valves in drains, putting breathable �nishes on walls, installing plasterboard horizontally rather than vertically, and the simple addition of �ood boards. If the river comes out of its bank again, repair and restoration will be easier than before

New bridge over a wider channel, lined with stone-faced walls. © Chris Downer (CC BY-SA 2 0)

Views 73 Charting change

Introduction

In December 2012, a storm reduced the remnants of a unique sixteenth-century building in the Highlands of Scotland, related to coastal salt-making, into the pile of rubble shown in the image on the right. The industrial remains at Brora are just one of thousands of vulnerable archaeological sites of all periods located within the most dynamic environment of our landscape, the coastal and intertidal zone. Climate-change impacts of rising sea levels and altered weather patterns will amplify the natural coastal processes that are already eroding our archaeological heritage. Although the scale of the issue can seem insurmountable, threatened heritage also presents opportunities for fresh thinking about how to respond to the challenge of heritage loss against a backdrop of accelerating coastal change.

Fortunately, we had learned a great deal about this and other parts of Brora’s coastal archaeolo� before the storm caused so much damage. A partnership between SCAPE (Scottish Coastal Archaeolo� and the Problem of Erosion) and the Brora community had been documenting, monitoring and investigating the eroding remains since 2003.1 This long-term relationship is one of many partnerships with communities that have helped gather data and raise awareness of the threat facing coastal sites in Scotland.

SCAPE, which operates out of the University of St Andrews, was formed in 2000 with a remit to engage the public in the history, archaeolo� and past environments of the coastal zone. In the same year as the Brora storm, SCAPE launched the Scotland’s Coastal Heritage

How do we know so much about Scotland’s coastal heritage? Insights and achievements from long-term public involvement in research with SCAPEJoanna Hambly, SCAPE, University of St Andrews

Charting change

Top: This pile of stone in Brora, east Sutherland, is all that remains of a sixteenth-century storehouse for salt, one of the earliest examples of industry in the Highlands of Scotland. © Penny Paterson

Above: Volunteer using the SCHARP app to record an eroding eighteenth-century limekiln on the north coast of Scotland near Durness. © SCAPE

74 Views Charting change

issues, provide interpretation, or address the need for further investigation at locally valued sites threatened by coastal erosion. These projects, known as ShoreDIGs, have been an important mechanism for widening participation and providing opportunities for volunteers to develop a range of skills. The resulting projects form inspirational case studies of what can be achieved through community action at eroding sites, and more details can be found at www.scharp.co.uk/shoredig-projects.

Outcomes

Between 2012 and 2016, volunteers submitted 1,074 update surveys of previously known sites and added 400 records of places not previously documented. This large sample size enabled a comprehensive review of the data, and it has resulted in an important management outcome in the identi�cation of the highest priority sites vulnerable to damage and loss as a result of coastal processes, as well as a signi�cant research output concerning trends of coastal change.3

‘The SCHARP prioritisation report is helping us to address the problem of coastal eroding archaeological sites in Scotland strategically.’ Senior Archaeolo� Manager, Historic Environment Scotland

form. The app democratised participation by making the data accessible as widely as possible using familiar technolo�. Volunteers are able to use their own devices to download site records and maps to take into the �eld. Widely understood mapping and GPS functions help volunteers navigate to sites, and then use their device GPS to re�ne a site’s location – and camera to take photographs – before submitting records using wi-� or 3G connectivity. The app also includes an ‘Add New Site’ feature, allowing new discoveries to be reported.

‘Using the app ... allowed us to ... go for a walk with a purpose. It really meant that you go from looking at a beach landscape where there are a couple of ruins, to actually starting to understand people lived there, people worked there .... It really did just bring the landscape alive.’ Volunteer, Highland

Training events delivered around the country introduced the technolo� and focused on practical survey work by visiting the coast and recording sites. This helped equip participants with the skills, experience and con�dence needed to carry out surveys independently while, equally importantly, building a relationship between SCAPE and local volunteers.

Running alongside the surveys, communities were encouraged to put forward project ideas which address management

at Risk Project (SCHARP), building upon many years’ experience of involving the public in tackling the issue of eroding coastal heritage. SCHARP was developed to address the urgent need to review and update records on the condition of important archaeological sites threatened by coastal processes. We needed fresh evidence about what was most at risk, and where, to develop management options and practical action plans. To achieve this, SCAPE placed volunteers at the heart of the research, thus growing capacity in local stewardship and enhancing site records through the contribution of local information.

Tools of engagement

The core of the project involved making available existing coastal heritage records, gathered during a series of surveys starting in the mid-1990s.2 This was achieved through a web-based, interactive Sites at Risk Map (www.scharp.co.uk/sites-at-risk), where each site record acts as a portal from which information and survey forms can be downloaded, and completed surveys and photographs uploaded by the public for validation before being added to the project database.

The interactive map also formed the basis of the ShoreUpdate Android and IOS app, again enabling access to coastal heritage site records and their linked survey

Volunteers carry out an emergency ShoreDIG investigation and recording of an Iron Age broch at Channerwick on Shetland, revealed by a storm in 2012. © SCAPE


SCAPE has been supported by Historic Environment Scotland and the University of St Andrews from the outset, allowing relationships to develop with communities, and standardisation in the way that data is gathered and analysed.

It is this type of structural support that enables organisations like SCAPE to carry out long-term, public-facing research, gathering empirical evidence on the condition of coastal heritage which is so fundamental to our understanding of the impacts of climate change on the historic environment of our coasts over time.

References1. www.shorewatch.co.uk/brora/2. 11,500 sites recorded during Historic

Environment Scotland-sponsored Coastal Zone Assessment Surveys, analysed and prioritised according to urgency of action by Dawson, 2010; see http://scharp.co.uk/media/medialibrary/2017/09/CZAS-Prioritisation-Review_2010.pdf

3. The full report A Review of Heritage at Risk from Coastal Processes in Scotland presents the data and initial analysis: http://scharp.co.uk/media/medialibrary/2017/12/Review_of_Coastal_Heritage_at_Risk.pdf

4. Our Place in Time: www.historicenvironment.scot/about-us/who-we-are/our-place-in-time/

into smaller, manageable, windows of opportunity, which encourages them to work together to do something e�ective in response to the loss of local heritage.

‘A really good idea to get community involvement where amateurs can feel that they can make a real contribution.’ Volunteer feedback following training event in North Uist

However, approaches like this thrive because of societal conditions that we shouldn’t take for granted. Online access to historic environment records – something that is not possible in many countries – is fundamental to being able to develop the interactive tools that enable people to participate in the discovery, documentation and stewardship of their local heritage. In Scotland, the right to roam is of enormous bene�t in allowing volunteers easy access to heritage sites everywhere. The Scottish Government’s high-level Historic Environment Strate�,4 implemented in the policy and practice of Scotland’s lead heritage body, Historic Environment Scotland, encourages maximising volunteering opportunities in the heritage sector.

SCAPE’s projects are also built on many years of experience and a continuity in sta� and focus that has lasted for 20 years.

The research model employed during SCHARP also has wider implications for how we collectively approach and manage change and loss in the historic environment in the face of climate change. It has shown that involving volunteers in collaborative research can produce the robust evidence needed to develop management priorities and contribute to an understanding of change over time. But the bene�ts extend much further. SCHARP has resulted in a network of trained stewards embedded in communities who continue to monitor and manage the local coastal heritage resource while acting as ambassadors and leaders in raising awareness about coastal change.

‘I learnt skills of how to actually get people who would normally not be interested, to sort of set them alight so that they were interested, and I found that a great skill.’ Volunteer, Eyemouth

Some re�ections

We often express SCAPE’s approach to threatened coastal heritage as one of addressing a national issue through a local lens. We use eroding heritage to motivate individuals and communities by breaking down a seemingly insurmountable problem

context of the wider historic landscape, both spatially and temporally. Perhaps the Trust has a role to play in working collaboratively with those agencies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland responsible for stewardship of the historic environment to advocate the roll-out of the SCAPE-type model across our three countries?

References1. CITiZAN (Coastal and Intertidal Zone

Archaeological Network): www.citizan.org.uk/2. CHERISH (Climate, Heritage and Environments

of Reefs, Islands and Headlands): www.cherishproject.eu/en/

3: Our Shifting Shores: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/living-with-change-our-shifting-shores

that SCAPE can. Such time-series data could help us sort out, for example, where the priorities lie for understanding the historic environment and cultural heritage features as they are impacted by coastal change.

A key issue for the Trust, in being faithful to our Shifting Shores principles3 around accepting change at the coast, is that we also accept impacts to and loss of cultural heritage features. We undertake to do this by understanding features of interest at a given location as coastal erosion and �ooding reveal or conceal elements of the historic environment, and we do this through an approach based on preservation by record. Whilst we can and usually do this for our sites and features, it is also important that we understand these features in the

Learning from SCAPEPhil Dyke, Coast & Marine Adviser

Last summer I was fortunate to be able to spend a day with Jo Hambly and her SCAPE colleagues at St Andrews

in Fife as part of my research into ‘Sand dunes, mobility and cultural heritage’ (see next page). It was an opportunity to explore the approach that SCAPE has been taking towards understanding the impacts over two decades of coastal erosion in Scotland, an approach that is both local and strategic, and which combines both professional expertise and citizen science.

In England and Wales we have something of a parallel in the form of projects such as CITiZAN1 and CHERISH,2 that the Trust is a part of, but these are project-funded, tend to come and go, and lack the ability to accumulate the type of time series data


Sand dunes, mobility and cultural heritagePhil Dyke, Coast and Marine Adviser

Background

During the summer of 2018 I was fortunate to be able to pursue a sabbatical researching sand dunes, their mobility (past, present and future) and impacts on cultural heritage. My travels took me from the Atlantic coast of south-west France to the Low Countries, around the UK and the island of Ireland. My research centred on the idea that dune landscapes are rich in cultural heritage, yet their latent dynamism and future mobility, potentially increased by climate change, will present new challenges for dune managers and dune stakeholders – challenges that need to be better understood

My own fascination with dunes goes back more than half a century, to when as a young boy growing up in the land-locked English Midlands, the thrill of being unleashed during school holidays into the shimmering marram-scented dunes of the coast of Wales was eagerly anticipated. At this time, not too distant from the Second World War, that last mass disturber of our UK dunes, my abiding childhood memory is of towering bare sand slopes. I confess to playing my part in encouraging dune mobility through burrowing into and sliding down the lofty dunes. Evidence abounds that in many of our dune systems in the 1960s bare mobile sand was still king, a stark contrast with today when atmospheric nitrogen-fed vegetation has taken hold, and the processes of ecological succession have all but smothered our dunes.

Mobility

My interest in sand dunes was prompted by a fascination with two of their underlying physical characteristics. The �rst dune trait is instability, actual or dormant. Rapid change is rare amongst landforms, but dunes do have the capacity to change radically, not perhaps in the blink of an eye but certainly overnight, or during the course of a single tide. This potential for change and latent instability is, of course, a paradox as sand dunes have a remarkable capacity, given the space, to adapt to change – to form and reform in response to a variety of pressures: man-made interventions, climate change-induced impacts or simply the weather in the form of a storm.

The second dune trait I admire relates to the �rst and centres on the consequences of the simple movement of sand. Given the right combination of wind speed and grain size, sand gets on the move – an Aeolian process, a procession in fact, begins. Each grain of sand within a dune is a tiny building block, and once free of the grip of any binding vegetation, has the potential to move and, grain by grain, smother or uncover adjacent land, akin to a �ood but of sand. In his survey of Cornwall (1602) Richard Carew reported: ‘Gwithian, a parish standing near St Ives Baye, muche annoyed with sea sande, which �yeth at lowe water with the winde out the choked haven into the Lande, swallowing up muche of the lande of the inhabitants, to their great impoverishement.’1

People and places

My focus on cultural heritage meant my research was as much about people as it was about places – the countless generations of people who have left their footprints, permanent or ephemeral, in dune landscapes, and signi�cantly for me, the people I encountered during the summer of 2018 on my dune journey, who shared with me their insights, knowledge and enthusiasm for sand dunes.

Initially I focused on cataloguing the

The building blocks – sand collected from Braunton Burrows, Devon – photographed under the microscope at Braunton Countryside Centre. © National Trust/Phil Dyke

Dune du Pilat, Aquitaine – sand on the move, dunes on the move. © Phil Dyke


was primarily re�ned to make turpentine. Today timber production continues in the forests but the resin industry �nally ended in the early 1990s, unable to compete with synthetic alternatives and foreign competition.

As a parallel output from my summer in the dunes, I have used my attempts as an amateur potter to bring together arts, cultural heritage and natural science interests in pursuit of my research. I collected sand samples from many of the sites and mixed them with clay to throw pots that re�ect some of the things I observed and my responses to these places. My creation of a hughes is my response to the Dune du Pilat, the surrounding landscape and the story of the resiniers.

Today the emphasis at the Dune du Pilat is geared towards access management, as two million visitors descend, or more accurately, ascend upon the site annually, and towards ensuring that the beast that is this dune complex, is unimpeded as it romps across the forested landscape of the resiniers.

occupy a mosaic of former dune lands and extensive areas of marsh land that spanned the coastal plain.

These pine and deciduous forests were planted from the early nineteenth century onwards to drain the land, with notable success. Where previously only sheep grazed, the tree-drained marshes and a�orested dunes grew to support two main industries, timber production and resin extraction. At the beginning of the twentieth century there were still several thousand Les Landes resiniers who collected the pine resin manually by slashing the bark of the trunk, allowing the resin to bleed down a metal plate into a conical pot lashed to the tree. Originally the resin from the wound dripped into a hole dug at the base of the tree or onto sacking but this introduced impurities and made the resin awkward to handle. By the mid-nineteenth century, Pierre Hughes, a pottery manufacturer from Bordeaux, had developed and patented a small conical earthenware pot, known as a hughes in French. The hughes transformed the resiniers’ collection of the raw resin which

broad headings of cultural heritage interest in dunes through semi-structured interviews with those I met. The word cloud right captures the cultural heritage issues and topics I encountered and paints a picture of some of the interactions our species has had, and continues to have, with sand dunes. Interactions that result in an astonishing variety of cultural landscapes.

What became clear to me as I have pursued my research through conversations with dune managers, is that cultural heritage stories and associations o�er a way to engage with and capture public interest in dune landscapes, in a way that is more easily accessible than the sometimes unfathomable narratives of the natural sciences. Yet conversely attention amongst dune conservationists often defaults to natural science interests, and nature conservation in particular, a sentiment expressed by my colleague Andrew Brockbank at Formby, one of my study sites, and one of the Trust’s most mobile dune systems. Formby is famed for the Formby footprints, Mesolithic in origin, and laid down in a marshy hinterland when the sea and dunes were a mile or two seaward of today’s shoreline. In more recent times Formby also became an important centre for asparagus cultivation, a location for the disposal of tobacco waste (which today forms the impressive tobacco cli�s), and one of the UK’s earliest lifeboat stations at the aptly named Lifeboat Road section of this vast dune system. Andrew explained he had a close involvement in developing a major dune management project at Formby and re�ected that the rich cultural heritage element within the project was often misunderstood and so has not gained the attention it deserves.

I sense this might be partly because, unlike dune nature conservation practice which neatly catalogues dune habitats into ten categories,2 cultural heritage interests remain dispersed. Based upon this sentiment, one of my achievements through this research has been to corral together, under the broad thematic headings contained in my word cloud, a categorisation of the cultural heritage interests of dune landscapes.

There is not space within this article to explore the breadth and depth of these cultural heritage themes but I will take one example from south-west France that serves to illustrate the riches I found.

The Dune du Pilat, Europe’s tallest (110m) and arguably most mobile dune (it is moving landwards at one metre a year), sits on the seaward margin of the densely forested French Département of Les Landes in Aquitaine. The forests surrounding the dune

Le Resinier at work in the dune woodlands of Les Landes, near Arcachon. © Photographer unknown


A consequence of rabbits: changing Murlough’s natureJo Whatmough, Adviser on Nature Conservation in Northern Ireland (retired), National Trust volunteer

account by those managing sand dunes, for nature, for cultural heritage or as sea defence structures. For the Trust this will mean committing resources to record and understand change on beaches and in fore dunes, not just in reaction to individual storm events but as part of a regular regime of monitoring that gives us an evidence base to show how sand dunes and their mobility impact cultural heritage over time.

References1. Desilvey, C., Naylor, S. and Sackett, C. (eds),

Anticipatory history, Uniform Books, 2011.2. Interpretation Manual of European Union

Habitats, European Commission DG Environment, April 2013.

3. Jackson, D.W.T., and Cooper, J.A.G., ‘Coastal dune �elds in Ireland: rapid regional response to climatic change’, Journal of Coastal Research, 2011.

mobilised in response to storm events, and correspondingly the cultural-heritage features within this zone will be impacted �rst and worst. In marked contrast the dune hinterlands are likely to maintain their stability, due to the protective mantle of sand-binding vegetation, meaning that any onset of greater mobility could be delayed for decades. There will be exceptions to more stable dune hinterlands where, for example, mobility already exists, such as at Formby, or where the impacts of drought on dune hinterland vegetation tri�ers new blow outs. There is some anecdotal evidence of the latter in the signi�cantly drier continental climate of the Dutch coastal dunes arising from the drought of the summer of 2018.

Whilst the impacts of climate change at the coast may vary, what is certain is that the likely impacts need to be taken into

The future

What of the future, and the notion that our dunes, in response to climate change, might once again become highly mobile, besanding at will, and causing further impoverishement to all who lie in their path. Over the coming decades we will once again need to get used to the idea of shorelines changing as a new period of climate change-induced marine transgression takes hold. Dune coasts are no exception and will be impacted by these broad-scale environmental changes; indeed we are already seeing evidence of this during storm events with beach lowering and cutting back of fore dunes.

However, the impact of climate change on dune landscapes is complex, and we should not lose sight of the fact that, in contrast to the prospect of increasingly dynamic dune fronts, our heavily vegetated dune hinterlands are likely to be far more resilient to change. With this picture of di�erential dune behaviour in mind, it is worth elaborating on the need to make a clear distinction about the nature of the changes we are likely to see in dune landscapes and thus the impacts on cultural heritage, as well as a distinction between the future behaviour of dune fronts and that of dune hinterlands. This distinction will see sediment dynamics forced to reside more within the beach and near-shore areas, with inland sediment pathways blocked or severely restricted.3

In simple terms dune fronts and beaches will become increasingly

The Normans introduced rabbits to Ireland as a domesticated crop in the twelfth century, and it is possible

that they have been present on the dunes of Murlough since the thirteenth century following the building of Dundrum Castle in 1188. For many centuries, rabbits were a high-value commercial crop, for their pelts and meat, and they were certainly farmed on Murlough by the seventeenth century as the warrens appear on a 1702 map.

At this time, the duneland was part of the Blundell Estate, whose records tell us much about the commercial warrens. In 1755, it was recorded that 3,614 rabbits had been

Reproduction of a hughes, thrown by the author. © Phil Dyke

trapped between 10 January and 1 April, with the pelts sold in Dublin and the meat sold for 1½d per pair. In 1789, Jimmy Stringer, a trapper, took 4,789 rabbits on the Murlough Sands and 402 hares in the Mournes. In a letter to the estate o®ce he complained that the poor weather made it di®cult to produce his rent (this was during the period known as the Little Ice Age).

The Blundells Estate was transferred to the Downshire Estate as part of a marriage dowry in 1793. The earliest Downshire map (1803) shows the main part of the duneland as the Greater Rabbit Warren and the

northern area as the Rabbit Warren, which are both described as ‘a sandy waste’. Two trappers’ cottages are also marked.

A commercial warren was worked until after the Second World War. From the 1880s–90s it was mostly let to Belfast butchers, and this may have continued into the twentieth century as a local trapper, Eddy McClean, continued to harvest the rabbits. A centuries-old way of life ended in 1953 when the highly infectious viral disease myxomatosis was �rst introduced into Britain and Ireland. Being transmitted by the rabbit �ea, it spread rapidly through


apparent lack of young plants or colonies, which were undoubtedly being controlled by rabbit grazing. This is perhaps one of the most important results of the later loss of rabbits, as sea buckthorn seems to have swiftly colonised open sandy areas by the 1960s to become a serious problem on the reserve. Gorse also spread, and both plants continue to be problem species despite ongoing and costly management.

Linton’s species lists do not seem so di�erent from more recent lists, although he reports less incidence of ling (common heather) in the heathland than bell heather; post-myxomatosis, ling later dominated the heathland (1967 survey). This is perhaps not too surprising as bell heather is less palatable to rabbits, and is the heather species now colonising the dune grasslands when rabbits are numerous.

the rabbit populations. Not only did this a�ect the commercial value of the warren, but vegetation and predators, particularly buzzards and stoats, were also a�ected by the disappearance of, respectively, a primary grazer and a major food source.

Murlough’s loss – and gain

The loss of the primary grazers from the dunes had a profound e�ect on the vegetation. Prior to its acquisition by the Trust, the site was renowned for its rare and specialist �ora and invertebrate fauna, many of which were associated with open sandy duneland conditions. Aerial photographs from 1951 certainly show extensive open sandy conditions over most of the coastal dunes, some of which may have been created for military training in 1942–4.

An MSc project undertaken by W.D. Linton in 1955 is the �rst available description of the vegetation in the central dune area north east of what is now called the Slidderyford or 12 Arches path. In his thesis, he remarks that myxomatosis was a�ecting some rabbits, but had not yet eradicated them, and that they were ‘plentiful’. His descriptions of the vegetation are, therefore, of the kind produced by rabbit grazing.

Looking at his photographs, the vegetation appears typical of heavily grazed rabbit lawns, dominated by mosses, particularly Racomitrium canescens, which he noted as an unusual sand dune coloniser at Murlough. On the distribution of sea buckthorn and sycamore, he notes the

A view across the sand dunes on Murlough National Nature Reserve. © National Trust Images/James Dobson

By 1953, the Forest Service of Northern Ireland had taken a lease of the duneland from the Downshire Estate, with the intention of planting Corsican pine. Indeed they had stabilised much of the open sandy habitats of the south-western end of the duneland (the Ring Reserve) with forest brashings, and excluded rabbits with fencing. The planting of a trial plot of 1,000 pines was the �nal straw for a group of Queen’s University botanists, zoologists, archaeologists and geographers who had been trying to protect the area for years.

Fortunately the coniferisation of the dunes was stopped, but it took many years of negotiations before the dunes of Murlough eventually came to the National Trust in 1967, and became Ireland’s �rst Nature Reserve. By this time the vegetation had changed considerably: the heathland, found mostly

As a primary grazer on Murlough, rabbits have a signi�cant impact on the kind of habitat it provides. © National Trust/Patrick Lynch


in the heathland of the Ring Reserve. Meanwhile, the vegetation response was an increase of coarse grasses and loss of diversity in habitats, as was demonstrated in a vegetation survey carried out by D. McManus in 1986.

Murlough had no history of stock grazing, so the Management Committee’s response was at �rst slow, but following much debate, it was decided to attempt to reintroduce rabbits. This was facilitated by Dr Alan Bell of the Department of Agriculture, Queen’s University Belfast, who was conducting research on rabbit behaviour. The

Time for intervention

All seemed well, and rabbits were considered so common that no attempt to monitor their number or distribution was considered necessary. A decline in their number was �rst noticed the year following the very dry heatwave of 1976, but still no attempt was undertaken to monitor rabbit numbers or the e�ects of an apparent decline. In retrospect, this was actually only the start of a decline to near complete disappearance from much of the reserve by the early 1980s, with only a scattering remaining, ironically,

on the oldest inland ancient dunes, had developed into a botanically and structurally diverse community, and the seaward younger and more disturbed duneland was well-vegetated by rich, calcareous dune grassland communities, dominated by diverse carpets of bird’s-foot trefoil or the more unusual southern community dominated by restharrow. The rabbit population had clearly recovered in number and distribution, even in the Ring Reserve where the Forest Service had attempted to eradicate them and where the amount of open sand had been much reduced.

Aerial shots taken in May 1951 show large open sandy areas which have all but disappeared, despite the reintroduction of the rabbits. Nevertheless they have created biodiverse habitats. © Crown Copyright

The 1951 shot overlain with a 2018 survey (un�nished) showing rabbit warrens; the dots represent warrens. © National Trust


reintroduction began in late summer 1985 with the importation of 91 rabbits; a further 112 were introduced in 1986, and 89 between 1987 and 1989. After being caged-trapped in farm-clearance exercises, biometric data was collected and the rabbits were dusted with �ea powder before being released into abandoned warrens, which had been fumigated.

Release sites were in the central core area of the Murlough NNR, which had previously held large active warrens (see 1986 map of warren distribution). In the �rst two years 25 rabbits of near equal sexes were released into each of eight warrens. Supplementary food was provided during the �rst winter, but on re-mapping the distribution in 1986, it was clear they were stru�ling with the tall vegetation. In an attempt to reduce the amount of grass litter and shorten the sward height, sheep were put on to approximately half the core area in winter 1987. Following two winters of grazing, re-mapping of the rabbit distribution in 1989 showed increased levels of occupancy and activity in all four areas of the reserve, but with a much higher increase of over 50% in the grazed area, where the rabbits were well established and widely dispersed. The grazing was therefore extended to the whole 125ha of the core area, where the rabbits have continued to thrive, despite occasional outbreaks of myxomatosis. Rabbits in the Ring Reserve also seemed to increase, possibly by the dispersal from the core area, and the introduction of new genetic material. Additional releases of rabbits were made in 1988–9 on the North Point, but were relatively unsuccessful, and rabbit numbers remain comparatively low there today, despite many years of winter cattle grazing.

Sheep grazing ceased in 1994 but was replaced with a feral herd of Exmoor ponies, which continues, together with winter cattle grazing, to share the core area with the rabbits. Rabbit numbers appeared to have increased sometime in the 2000s, resulting in large areas of heavily grazed moss and lichen-dominated rabbit lawns. Nevertheless, these lawns, together with the disturbed sandy areas associated with the warrens, has provided much-needed habitats for some of the rarer dune annuals and invertebrates. This is particularly important as the loss of open sandy habitat elsewhere on the reserve is critical. The impact of the rabbits is, therefore, positive, though sometimes visually less desirable.

Unfortunately, little monitoring of either numbers or distribution has taken place since 1992, possibly under the assumption again that rabbits appeared to be widespread and numerous. Some monitoring and remapping started in spring 2018 but is not yet

The three hand-drawn maps show rabbit occupation following the reintroduction, and their expansion and reduction. The 1992 distribution is very much re�ected in modern times. © Jo Whatmough

complete. The fate of the rabbits following the prolonged dry summer in 2018 could well have been a repeat of that of 1976, as little green vegetation was available to the rabbits. The Exmoor ponies appeared to graze on the developing �ower heads of ragwort, a plant sometimes seen as an unfortunate side e�ect of rabbits. In the autumn and winter months following the drought, myxomatosis was widespread, leading to a very low density of visible (alive and healthy) rabbits. This led to some concern among reserve sta�, but by May, the population was clearly showing signs of recovery.

Elsewhere in Britain, the continuity of rabbits as an important grazer in dry sandy habitats such as dunes and in the Brecklands is becoming a serious issue, with the rise of Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic disease. This deadly and highly infectious disease is eradicating rabbits from many areas. I do not know of its incidence in Northern Ireland, but fear the possibility of its occurrence,

especially as it seems to be carried on people’s feet as well as their dogs, both of which are numerous visitors to Murlough. In the event of the demise of the rabbits, the possibility of another reintroduction process would seem highly unlikely. Their loss would be very sad, as no other domestic grazer can produce quite the same habitats as rabbits do, and the link to a long-established historical land use would be lost.

ReferencesLinton, W.D. (1955), A study of the plant communities of the Murlough, County Down, sand dunes and including notes on the ion-content of sand samples. MSc thesis, Queen’s University Belfast.McManus, D. (1988), Murlough National Nature Reserve Vegetation Classi�cation, MSc thesis, University of Ulster, Jordanstown.National Trust (1967), Quadrat survey (unpublished).Whatmough, J.A. (1995), ‘Grazing on Sand Dunes: The reintroduction of the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus L. to Murlough NNR Co. Down’, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 56 (Suppl) 39–43.


Documentation mandated by a National Trust/British Library agreement required signed consents, interview data sheets and model releases. The Trust’s copyrighted oral history archives across the country will eventually reside in the British Library’s National Sound Archive as a permanent record for public research.

During an interview, it is important to remember that specialist terms will need explaining, and to check any names and dates. Afterwards, the audio �les were reviewed for quality, catalogued and documentation digitised. All interviews require time-coded summaries for the British Library, and a proportion of our total is transcribed verbatim by the volunteer team. Thanking people and keeping in contact is good practice for follow-up conversations and networking.

When one door closes, another opens

Twice during the project, the main contractors went into administration. In addition, a number of key Project Team members either retired or left. Personal circumstances and career opportunities meant new appointments in the roles of General Manager, Project Curator, Project Conservator and House and Collections

su�ested and facilitated the �rst IbK oral history interviewees. With conservation at its heart, IbK meant huge changes for Knole: we recorded the decision-making behind fundraising, visitor engagement and volunteer development. Major milestones included winning the HLF bid in 2013 and each stage of starting and completing work on the Barn, Brewhouse, Hayloft, Gatehouse Tower and multiple phases of show-room repair and reinstatement, all dovetailing with each other.

The process

Research before conducting an interview is useful, as is planning the main areas to cover and knowing how to ask open-ended questions. We used these to draw out detail, emotion and anecdotes, rather than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Quiet meeting rooms are ideal for audio conversations, but as the IbK project progressed, we found other opportunities: during enabling works in the medieval barn; when �oorboards were being taken up in the show rooms; and in the vast, echoing attic spaces with archaeologists doing surveys.

Recording change: the Inspired by Knole ProjectVeronica Walker-Smith, Oral History volunteer, Knole, Kent

In March 2019, Knole celebrated the completion of its Inspired by Knole (IbK) Project, the largest conservation project

in the National Trust’s history. Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund since 2013, the £20 million project has successfully weatherproofed Knole’s 600-year-old exterior. Show-room interiors have been �re-insulated, conserved and humidity-controlled, and now display hundreds of objects that were conserved in the new Knole Conservation Studio housed in a medieval barn. The studio is part of the doubling of spaces for visitors to enjoy, including the Gatehouse Tower, Hayloft and attics.

The mission

As part of IbK, recorded interviews of those involved were made. This oral history archive now numbers more than 135 interviews. The audio recordings have captured the enthusiasm of 100 dedicated professionals, including project sta�, consultants, building contractors and specialist conservators. In describing their work throughout a lengthy project, they add real voices to the physical results of what can now be seen and give a personal perspective rarely found in written project reports.

The IbK’s archive evolved into a major strand of an oral history project started in 2011 by House and Collections Manager, Helen Fawbert. With a small HLF grant, she recruited volunteers to research and interview people connected to Knole, mostly on life ‘below stairs’ in the early twentieth century. Professional audio recording equipment was used to create a digital record which was shared with visitors through an exhibition in 2012.

It became clear that IbK contractors’ and conservators’ schedules at Knole often needed to change because delays to one had a knock-on e�ect on others. This meant that appointments were cancelled and alternative interviewees became available at short notice. In volunteering to specialise in IbK interviews, I had to be ready to record half- to one-hour conversations with them on site when they could spare the time.

Both Helen and Project Curator Emma Slocombe, who also wrote the HLF bid,

The Inspired by Knole Project team in 2018. © National Trust


interested in spending that money just to prop up something that was o�ering nothing new; and that the only way to do this was to go for a bi�er project which involved opening up new areas; and that was why we o�ered those areas, in order to help enable that project and that investment.

‘Actually this could not have worked if there had not been quite intense collaboration between the family’s interests and the Trust. It just couldn’t; nothing would have happened. And Knole would be the poorer, slightly more dismal place if that had happened.’2

Participants’ experiences

It is rare for a textile or tapestry conservator to be asked to sit down and talk about their work in detail. Participants have said how much they enjoyed the process. Our recordings take listeners behind the scenes, highlighting how conservators make decisions from initial condition checking through to remedial treatment. Listeners discover that ‘How far do we go?’ is a tough question for both conservators and curators.

they enjoyed working in a medieval interior on a collection which belonged to the house they were in.

Where very large items could not be conserved on site, IbK funding allowed two state beds and seven very large paintings to go o� site. Specialist textile, tapestry and painting conservators gave us access to their studios in Norfolk, Somerset and London. We not only recorded their work in progress but also their responses when the James II Bed, Spangled Bed, six copies of Raphael Cartoons and a large Wootton painting returned fully conserved to the show rooms.

Including the donor family

At such a signi�cant period in Knole’s history, it was vital to record the thoughts of the donor family. Robert Sackville-West, 7th Baron Sackville, shared his family’s experience of living with years of sca�olding, followed by external and internal building and decorating works, very close to his family apartments:

‘At the time we looked at this and we thought: well, Knole is probably at a critical moment now. Everyone knew – we knew, the National Trust knew – that it needed millions spent on basic repairs; but nobody was going to be particularly

Manager. The Knole archive recorded all these changes and how the remaining team members coped. What emerged clearly was creative problem-solving.

One example of such a response was when contracted building works were delayed for several months. Storage space had to be found for very large items decanted from show rooms emptied for enabling and repair works. The outstanding solution was the ‘Great Store’ of 2016, a bespoke, two-storey sca�olded display ‘case’ built inside Knole’s Great Hall. Billed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see some of Knole’s treasures up close, it won visitors’ hearts during the season. Senior Building Surveyor Robin Mills played a key role: ‘The studio wasn’t ready to take the contents of the house, and so we thought, “Well, where’s there a big space where we can store the contents, to allow the contractor to start in the second half of the house?” And it grew from that. Very quickly, it was real hand-to-mouth.’1

The works delay had another knock-on e�ect when the studio itself was not ready for the conservators. Another creative solution, a painting conservation pop-up studio was set up in the Old Kitchen Lobby. Working conveniently next door to another bespoke solution – a humidity-controlled painting store in the Old Kitchen itself – we recorded conservators recalling how much

The ground-�oor view of the Great Store in 2016. © National Trust/Ciaran McCrickard


conservators work. Their anecdotes and descriptions bring to life their attention to �ne detail which has become a hallmark of this conservation project.

References1. Knole Oral History archive: interview with

Robin Mills, 13 November 2017.2 Ibid. Interview with Robert Sackville-West,

14 June 2017.3 Ibid. Interview with Jim Parker, 27 November

2017. 4 www.knolestories.org.uk 5 Knole’s Home Page > Specialist Interviews on

https://myvolunteering.nationaltrust.org.uk

Access to Knole stories

This digitally secure IbK repository is submitted in annual tranches to the British Library. Excerpts are shared with the public and Knole volunteers in several ways: a brand-new digital multimedia guide on site showcases conservators’ work; online public access via a stand-alone website4; online Knole volunteer access on MyVolunteering5; and IbK stories woven into guided tours.

For those of us involved in interviewing, it has been a privilege to understand how builders, carpenters, electricians, stonemasons, specialist decorators and

Participants relish reliving how they met such challenges presented by iconic items, such as the Knole sofa, which has seen layers of intervention since the seventeenth century.

The Knole Conservation Studio o®cially opened in March 2017. It is the only Trust conservation studio fully accessible to the public. Our archive has recorded its development from planning in 2013, to sta� recruitment, �tting out, creating a public engagement area and prioritising objects from our unrivalled collection of Stuart furniture and textiles. In capturing how conservators met their tight deadlines, the recordings also reveal how much these professionals, who were new to Knole, have come to love it.

Knole won the British Archaeolo� Award in 2018 for Best Archaeolo� Project. This recognised the e�orts of Project Archaeologist Nathalie Cohen, whose enthusiasm spurred volunteers like Jim Parker to o�er hundreds of hours sifting through debris in voids opened up by IbK works:

‘We found not just artefacts, but also carpenters’ marks on the beams, witch marks and a lot of gra®ti. The most exciting thing was in the gap in between two joists, under about a square foot of rush matting, I found some paper. When I unfolded it, it had got writing on it which was obviously in a seventeenth-century hand. That was a letter dated 1633.’3

Upholstery conservator Heather Porter explained how she worked on the Knole sofa’s delicate layers of fabric. © National Trust

The 1633 letter found in the Knole attics. © National Trust/Sarah Newton


of the furniture remotely. This virtual approach to surveying was, of course, supplemented by research into a property and its collections, and by reading material published by art and furniture historians in the years following an object’s original appearance on CMS. It soon became apparent, however, that the cataloguers, all with a background in inspecting furniture before cataloguing it, could only properly enhance the records if every piece was physically examined.

We now, therefore, begin by researching

single piece of furniture in Trust properties. The latter, a user-friendly version of the Collections Management System (CMS) and accessible by anyone online, provides a ‘fascinating and extremely useful resource for specialists and the general public all over the world’.1

Applying due diligence

In autumn 2015, the project had ‘enhanced’ 4,000 records in eight properties; by spring 2019, just over 21,000 furniture records in over 60 Trust properties had been updated and the project has evolved considerably, both in its methodolo� and in its scope.

Initially, and thanks to the photographs attached to (most) records on CMS, Philip planned for cataloguers to survey most

Taking a second look: an update on the Furniture Research & Cataloguing ProjectMegan Wheeler, Principal Collections Cataloguer (Furniture)

The Furniture Research & Cataloguing Project was instigated in August 2015 by the Furniture Curator,

Christopher Rowell, and Philip Claris, then Head of Collections Management, who appointed Dr Wolf Burchard as Furniture Research Curator. Generously supported by the Royal Oak Foundation and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, the project aimed to ‘improve… understanding and appreciation’ of the National Trust’s collection of approximately 50,000 pieces of furniture. Dedicated to the study of furniture alone, new cataloguing and research has already been published and will result in two major outcomes: a book, Furniture in National Trust Houses currently being written by Christopher, and enhanced entries on National Trust Collections (www.nationaltrustcollections.org) for every

Left: The Samuel Norman wine cooler at Wallington, Northumberland. © National Trust

Below: The lapis lazuli cabinet and associated, now believed to be nineteenth-century, giltwood stand at Belton House, Lincolnshire. © National Trust Images/Dennis Gilbert


furniture that a property has chosen to display or the story it tells.

It is meticulous work but worth doing, for our records and our reputation; the Trust has been recognised publicly as setting a lead in digital cataloguing through its Furniture Research Project.2

New discoveries among familiar pieces

Examining the Trust’s furniture so closely is a real privilege, and it is a huge pleasure when we are sometimes able to ascribe a piece to a particular maker or reveal something new and signi�cant. At Wallington, Simon has newly attributed the magni�cent mahogany

so the ‘enhanced’ entries are not only fuller but more consistent. We also apply an importance or signi�cance ranking to each record, to assist properties to decide, for instance, what should be conserved, or displayed, or what might bene�t from further research.

To add value to the information on CMS, we draw our work together in a �nal report, circulated to property sta�, registrars and curators. Designed to be read in tandem with CMS, these reports seek to give an overview of the chronological formation of a property’s furniture collection. Moreover, they draw attention to important pieces, or sub-collections, which may be easily overlooked or obscured by the types of

the history of a chosen property and its collection, establishing what archival material is available and relevant. Only then do we visit a property, typically examining between 70 and 100 pieces of furniture a day. Back in the o®ce, we begin our work on CMS, not only providing a brief description of the object and its physical characteristics, but also new details of both primary and secondary materials, creation dates, details of makers, origins and marks. We consult inventories and other sources, such as bills and receipts, to record as much of an object’s provenance as possible. All three cataloguers (Simon Green, James Weedon and I) work to standards set out in the Furniture Cataloguing Manual, and

The Drawing Room at Attingham Park, Shropshire, showing several pieces of giltwood and white-painted Neo-classical Italian furniture, traditionally but erroneously associated with Caroline Murat. © National Trust Images/Paul Barker


(1739–85) at Nostell in 1767. How and why it came to be at Erddig, pushed into a corner, is unknown. It is hoped that discoveries like these will open up new areas of research for properties, assist with interpretation and, together with updated entries on National Trust Collections, raise awareness of the Trust’s outstanding and endlessly interesting furniture.

References 1. Burchard, Wolf, ‘Unlocking the National Trust’s

furniture: introducing a new research project’, Views, Issue 53, Autumn 2016 (National Trust 2016), pp.45–6.

2. Editorial, The Burlington Magazine, July 2017.3. Rowell, Christopher, and Burchard, Wolf,

‘From Paris to Knole: The third Duke of Dorset and the �rst Earl Whitworth as diplomatic Patrons and Collectors’, Apollo (2016), 42–52; and Rowell, Christopher, and Burchard, Wolf, ‘François Benois, Martin-Eloi Lignereux and Lord Whitworth: leasing, furnishing and dismantling the British Embassy in Paris during the Peace of Amiens, 1802–03’, Furniture History, LII (2016), 181–213.

4. Rowell, Christopher, and Burchard, Wolf, ‘The Congress of Vienna and its Legacy in the Londonderry Collection at Mount Stewart’, National Trust Historic Houses & Collections Annual/Apollo (2017), 21–9; and Rowell, Christopher and Burchard, Wolf, ‘The British Embassy at Palais Stahremberg: Furniture from the Congress of Vienna at Mount Stewart’, Furniture History, LIII (2017), 191–224.

5. Wheeler, Megan, ‘Early Elizabethan Chests at Sizergh Castle’, Regional Furniture, XXXII (2018), 103–25.

6. Rowell, Christopher, ‘A “Lost” Picture Frame by Thomas Chippendale and Lady Winn’s Blue Dressing Room at Nostell Priory’, Furniture History, LIV (2018), 119–43.

7. Chippendale Revealed: an online exhibition: www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/article/chippendale-revealed (accessed 13 June 2019)

Attingham’s very large set of parcel-gilded and white-painted Neo-classical furniture is associated with Caroline Murat (1782–1839), the sister of Emperor Napoleon I. Wolf and Christopher have found, instead, that it was the property of Maria Teresa, Queen of Sardinia (1773–1832), and their article will shed new light on its designers and its upholstery, and on how it made its way from a Mediterranean palazzo to a Shropshire country house.

Opening doors onto the past

Nostell was the focus of Chippendale Revealed, this project’s contribution to nationwide celebrations to mark the 300th anniversary of the baptism of the Yorkshire cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale (1718–79) in 2018. An experimental attempt to ‘reveal’ those hard-to-see aspects of Chippendale’s furniture in a country house or museum setting resulted in new photographs, with accompanying text, published in a virtual exhibition.7 Seeing some of Chippendale’s most celebrated pieces at close quarters was revealing, and the bene�ts of this approach to the study of furniture were realised when I was subsequently able to attribute a clothes press (NTC no. 1153320) at Erddig to his workshop. Pushed entirely into a recess in Erddig’s Library, it has probably gone unnoticed until now because it is completely hidden when the door to the Library is open. It is, however, a miniature version – the only di�erence being its better-quality handles – of the documented press (NTC no. 960196) made for Sir Rowland Winn

and ormolu wine cooler (NTC no. 582636). in the Dining Room to Samuel Norman (�. 1755–67), a Soho cabinetmaker who supplied similar wine coolers to many prestigious clients. Previously attributed to Matthew Boulton (1728–1809), the record now places the wine cooler in its proper context and o�ers a potential new area for research. James’s discoveries in the Belton archive su�est that the cabriole-le�ed giltwood stand which supports its famous lapis lazuli cabinet (NTC no. 435082), and was long thought to have been specially made to accommodate it in the eighteenth century, may in fact have been made by Gillow & Co. in 1829. James is continuing to explore this idea and hopes to publish his �ndings in 2020.

Research underpins all of the work that we do, and the project has produced scholarly articles on furniture at Knole3, Mount Stewart4, Sizergh5 and Nostell6 since 2016. Wolf left in December 2018 to take up the post of Associate Curator of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, but the last of his work will be published in Furniture History in 2020, in a comprehensive article on the Italian furniture at Attingham, co-authored with Christopher. This article, the fruit both of careful study of the furniture itself and research in archives across Europe, will quash the long-held belief that

On the left, a view of the south wall of the Library at Erddig, Wrexham, taken in 1981, the press cupboard in the left-hand corner, near the door (© NTI); it is a smaller version of the press made in 1767 for Sir Rowland Winn at Nostell. © National Trust/John Hammond


dendrochronolo�’. The UK Oak Project is an inter-disciplinary project investigating the physical and chemical properties of oak tree-rings to advance dendrochronolo�, science-based dating in archaeolo� and the study of past climate. Funded by the Leverhulme Trust and Natural Environment Research Council, the research team brings together scientists from the Department of Geography at Swansea University and the

failed to match either each other or with the reference chronologies as they were fast-grown and showed little year-to-year variability in their ring widths. It was therefore not possible to con�rm that the present portico was original and dated to the mid-seventeenth century.

During more recent works to re-roof The Vyne in 2017, it was su�ested by the Oxford Dendrochronolo� Laboratory1 that the two undated samples from 1998 be submitted to the UK Oak Project2 in an attempt to date them using a new technique ‘stable isotope

Changing history: new techniques to further inform The Vyne’s storyDan Miles, Oxford University, Neil Loader, Swansea University and UK Oak Project members

In 1998 The Vyne in Hampshire was undergoing major internal re-servicing works, and a series of dendrochronolo�

samples were taken from various areas of the house. One element of particular interest to the National Trust was the north-front portico, attributed to John Webb, which documentary evidence su�ested was the earliest classical portico applied to an English country house. Although some of the samples taken inside the house in the south range dated to the early spring of 1654, two samples from the portico itself

View of the north front of The Vyne, Hampshire. © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra


About the authors

Dr Dan Miles works in the Research Laboratory for Archaeolo� and the History of Art and is also a partner in the Oxford Dendrochronolo� Laboratory, an independent laboratory linked to Oxford University. Professor Neil Loader teaches geography at Swansea University and leads the UK Oak Project. The UK Oak Project would be pleased to discuss wider applications across the Trust’s remit.

by mason Edward Marshall on the portico in 1655. The timbers felled would probably have been used ‘green’, i.e. unseasoned, so a completion date for the portico roof of 1656 can now be assumed.

References1. UK Oak Project: www.oak-research.co.uk2. Oxford Dendrochronolo� Laboratory: www.

oxford-dendrolab.com3. Loader et al. (2019) ‘Tree Ring Dating Using

Oxygen Isotopes: A Master Chronolo� for Central England’, Journal of Quaternary Science. DOI: 10.1002/jqs.3115

University of Oxford’s Research Laboratory for Archaeolo� and the History of Art.

The new dating technique studies the chemistry of the wood, speci�cally the stable (non-radioactive) isotopes of carbon and oxygen. The carbon isotopes vary mainly in response to the amount of summer sunshine and the oxygen isotopes to summer rainfall. The isotopic match between trees is much stronger than for ring widths and importantly the trees do not need to be physiologically stressed to record a dating signal. This means that it is possible, for regions of low climatic stress such as the UK, to date the short and invariant samples that might normally be considered unsuitable for ring-width dendrochronolo�.

The two Vyne samples were compared with the oxygen isotope master chronolo� for south-central England. The results were spectacularly successful. The �rst sample, from the west lower principal rafter in the portico roof, had 73 growth rings, and a second sample, from the east upper principal rafter, had 86 rings. Both were complete to the bark edge and both were unequivocally found to have been felled in the winter of 1655/6 (t=7.47, 1/p >1 million). This date con�rms that the structure of the portico was indeed built using primary rather than recycled timbers, and was constructed shortly after the winter of 1655/6. Three surviving contracts held by the Hampshire Record O®ce document works undertaken

Ross Cook of the Oxford Dendrochronolo� Laboratory sampling roof timbers at The Vyne; this roof is over the Oak Gallery. © National Trust/Gary Marshall

The north-end roof truss of the portico roof, from where samples were taken. © National Trust/Gary Marshall


In the woods at Nymans, West Sussex, the sandstone cli�s have been a canvas for gra®ti for over 300 years, an exceptional historical record of those who lived, worked and played in the area. One particular rock face, accessible only by a very narrow walkway, bears hundreds of carvings over several square metres. The undulating rock surface, combined with the nature of the space whereby a single photograph can only capture a tiny portion of the rock, makes traditional photographic recording a challenge to say the least. But advanced software has allowed hundreds of overlapping photographs of small sections of the rock surface to be stitched together. Not only this, but the development of a technique known as ‘Structure from Motion’ allows the software to recognise and match

understanding our coast and countryside, our buildings and our collections. The recently formed national Remote Sensing Group, coordinating advice and Trust guidance on the topic, re�ects the growing trend for the use of these technologies which range from well-established ‘best practice’ to the novel and experimental.

Beginning with photography

Nearly 200 years after its invention, conventional photography, from the ground or from an aerial platform, remains a vital tool for recording and investigation. But new technologies, techniques and developments in computer software are allowing us to capture and use this data in di�erent ways.

Explorers of the Digital AgeTom Dommett, Archaeologist/Remote Sensing National Specialist, London & South East

In the broadest sense, ‘remote sensing’ is the science of obtaining information about something from a distance. While

it is not exactly new – the �rst photograph taken in the 1820s was an early form of remote sensing, and aerial photography began to be used in earnest to identify archaeological sites from the air during the 1920s – since the late twentieth century the range of remote-sensing techniques, the variety of applications and the methods of interrogating the data they produce have expanded exponentially. From hyperspectral imagery and laser-scanning to ground-penetrating radar and images taken from satellites in space, remote sensing is increasingly recognised as a fundamental tool in our approach to exploration across the National Trust estate – for


or hyperspectral imaging techniques. The development of this approach is still being re�ned – and specialist advice should be sought if considering such a survey – but the result is the potential to map in great detail and with great speed the distinct vegetation types and habitats across huge areas of land.

Chlorophyll can also act as an indicator of plant health or stress, so mapping variations in the re�ectance values over time can help us understand the impacts of climate change or the spread of plant diseases. Such surveys can currently be prohibitively expensive, but the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones) in

Aerial photography too has bene�ted from technological change. We are all familiar with colour photography, capturing images within the visible light spectrum, but the use of multispectral or hyperspectral imagery – allowing us to ‘see’ in much greater detail and in wavelengths such as near infra-red which can’t be perceived by the human eye – is increasingly common. The way light re�ects from vegetation back to a camera is in�uenced by the chlorophyll within plant leaves – di�erent plants contain di�erent levels of chlorophyll, and the distinctive re�ectance signatures which these produce can be isolated using multi-

images which capture the same area from di�erent angles, and use a process of triangulation to calculate a position in three-dimensional space for the two-dimensional pixels represented in the images. In this way, hundreds of individual photographs are transformed into a fully three-dimensional map of the entire rock surface, allowing us to begin the process of digitally transcribing the gra®ti and researching the individuals who have left their mark at the site. This work is currently being expanded upon through funding from the National Trust Research Seed Fund, potentially providing a model for the investigation of similar sites.

Opposite: The gra®ti-covered rock-face at Nymans; software calculates and maps the position of each photograph in 3D space and generates a 3D ‘point cloud’ (right) of the rock surface; (above) the single ‘stitched’ image of the whole rock-face. © National Trust


to pick out patterns in the data, the same sort of approach applied to facial recognition technolo�. Within archaeolo� this method is beginning to be applied to airborne laser scanning, otherwise referred to as lidar (a light or laser emitting version of radar).

Lidar involves mounting a laser-scanning device on an aerial platform – a plane, helicopter or drone – and scanning the landscape in-�ight. Light is emitted from the device and re�ects back when it hits the ground. By calculating the time taken for the light to return, and knowing the position of the scanner when the light was emitted through GPS technolo�, it is possible to calculate the point in three-dimensional space where the light encountered the ground. Hundreds of thousands of points are captured and plotted every second, and taken together millions of these points act like a blanket of individual snow�akes on the ground. These can be digitally stitched together to create an exceptionally detailed three-dimensional model of an entire landscape surface, including areas beneath trees and other vegetation. This has become

Keeping up with technolo« and the data it produces

Images captured from satellites in space are also coming into common usage, with some pilot studies already underway through the Trust’s Conservation Information team. ‘Landsat’ and ‘Sentinel’ imagery can be freely downloaded from a variety of internet sources. While the current level of detail within these images is limited, freely available data will probably soon catch up to the current highest performing commercial imaging satellites such as the GeoEye-1 with a resolution of under 0.5m (each pixel representing a square 50cm by 50cm). It is conceivable that within our lifetimes we will see free (or cheap) high-resolution satellite imagery, with global coverage refreshed every day, available at the click of a button. Quite how we will e�ectively handle and analyse this enormous and ever-increasing quantity of data remains a burning question.

One possible answer lies in the use of Convolutional Neural Networks – ‘deep learning’ by computers which we can teach

particular has allowed for much easier and cheaper acquisition of aerial photographs, and much greater potential to repeat surveys for monitoring purposes.

In west Cornwall, repeat drone surveys have been commissioned by property teams to monitor the condition of the natural environment and make decisions around taking land back in-hand (see article page 48), as well as using the imagery to ensure the continuing preservation of archaeological sites. At Horner Farm on the Holnicote Estate, Somerset, drone survey is proving a particularly useful method for rangers and countryside managers to monitor landscape change and the impact and delivery of works associated with their Countryside Stewardship Agreement; a case study for this site has recently been prepared as part of a Design Guide series speci�cally focused on remote sensing.

Drones are making aerial photography and �lming far easier and cheaper to obtain, which increases their potential for repeat surveys. © National Trust Images/Clive Whitbourn


sensitive for visitors to venture. It can let us see the invisible. Within the environments which remote-sensing data digitally reconstructs, we can spin and pan and zoom, we can create and build and play. We can explore in entirely new, novel and engaging ways. That is something we should all be excited about.

Navigating the world of remote sensing can be a daunting task for the uninitiated and the expert alike. Resources available through the Trust’s intranet are currently being developed to support all of this remote-sensing activity, from Design Guide case studies to speci�cations for commissioning lidar surveys and guidance on the safe use of drones on Trust sites. These resources are underpinned by the specialists within the Conservation Information Team, the Remote Sensing Group and myself, the Remote Sensing National Specialist, all of whom can provide advice and invaluable insight to ensure remote-sensing surveys are cost e�ective and deliver the best results for the organisation.

can explore and interrogate. Laser scanning of objects and artefacts can be similarly useful, but at Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire, the use of remote-sensing technolo� has been taken one step further and forms another of the newly produced Design Guide case study series. As part of their ‘Form and Transform’ exhibition, the property worked with the artist Michael Eden to not only laser scan some of their most signi�cant ceramics, but to then use the resulting digital models of the original pieces as inspiration for new works of art which were 3D-printed.

The importance of remote-sensing techniques as a tool for interpretation is often – as here – left until last. And yet it is perhaps one of the most important elements to consider, especially with the rise of augmented and virtual reality. The digital nature of remote-sensing data allows us all to discover places and objects in ways which simply would not otherwise be possible. This ‘virtual access’ can put us high up �ying above a landscape, or in inaccessible spaces deep below the ground. It can take us to places that are too dangerous or di®cult or

a common and essential tool employed by Trust archaeologists for exploring our landscapes and identifying earthworks – the lumps and bumps which indicate sites of historic and prehistoric human activity. From James Wyatt’s lost eighteenth-century house on the Killerton Estate, Devon, to Bronze Age burial monuments on Black Down in West Sussex, lidar has already hugely enhanced our understanding of the Trust’s estates. A case study on the historic landscapes revealed by lidar at Fingle Woods in Devon is currently being prepared for the Design Guide series.

Engagement and interpretation

Back on terra �rma, laser scanning has had a similarly profound impact. It is now frequently employed as a tool by building surveyors, curators and archaeologists for obtaining an accurate – sub-millimetre – record of buildings and structures, creating a complete record before any change might take place and providing a dataset which we

Laser-scanning of objects in the collection at Waddesdon created digital 3D models for the Form and Transform exhibition (© Michael Eden); one of the �nal 3D printed artworks. © Adrian Sassoon/Sylvain Deleu

Lidar visualisations at Black Down, Haslemere, Surrey, show how lidar can be used to map the terrain with vegetation and is then able to digitally strip away this vegetation to reveal the ground surface – and archaeological earthworks – beneath it. Data provided by BlueSky. © National Trust

94 Views Being the change

Beyond this area, the Trust is one of the founding partners of the Colourful Coast Partnership, whose other partners include the Land Trust, Natural England, the RSPB, Copeland Borough Council, Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and local parish councils. Since 2009 these organisations have worked

the former Haig Colliery site under a 25-year partnership agreement with the Land Trust that started in 2007; this secured an endowment from English Partnerships (now the Homes and Communities Agency) which was invested to ensure the site could be managed in perpetuity. We also manage the St Bees Head Lighthouse cottages and Fog Signal station – the iconic most westerly point on Wainwright’s Coast-to-Coast walk – on a 99-year lease.

Time for a new approach: going beyond the limitations of land ownershipSophie Badrick, Colourful Coast Project O®cer

On the west coast of Cumbria, the Colourful Coast project is testing a ‘Beyond our Boundaries’ approach,

using an injection of National Trust leadership and resource to create a legacy of better access, protection and understanding of the coastal and marine environments within the project area.

Unusually for the Trust we do not own any of the land in the project area. We manage a 1km (0.6 mile) coastal strip on

Being the change

Sandstone cli�s and rocky shoreline of the existing St Bees Head Heritage Coast. © National Trust/Sophie Badrick

Views 95 Being the change

of national importance. We saw bene�ts in extending the existing boundary in the form of wider recognition of the quality of the area, a potential increase in tourism and the opportunities for grant funding which would contribute towards the further enhancement and ongoing management of the area. As Heritage Coasts are protected through the planning system, a local authority would have to ‘maintain the character of the undeveloped coast, protecting and enhancing its distinctive landscapes’. This could ensure that any future development here would be of a high quality.

We subsequently provided funding for Land Use Consultants (LUC) to produce landscape-based evidence to support the case for extending the boundary northwards towards Whitehaven. This work was produced in consultation with partners, including Natural England, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council. The evidence base evaluated the whole area against a set of criteria. This showed that the cli�s south of Whitehaven are of Heritage Coast quality, and the current boundary should be amended.

In spring 2017 we submitted the evidence base and extension proposals for consideration and evaluation to Copeland Borough Council and Natural England. Due to their timeframes, it wasn’t until the end of 2018 that we were invited to

2 encourage and help the public to enjoy, understand and appreciate these areas

3 maintain and improve the health of inshore waters a�ecting heritage coasts and their beaches through appropriate environmental management measures

4 take account of the needs of agriculture, forestry and �shing, and the economic and social needs of the small communities on these coasts.

The St Bees Head Heritage Coast is the only stretch so designated between Wales and Scotland. It was de�ned in 1992 and is 6km (3.7 miles) in length. This status sits alongside the existing designations of MCZ, SSSI and SAM which recognise the mixture of unique natural and cultural features of this stretch of coast. It is one of only six ‘orphan’ heritage coasts in the UK; this means its boundaries do not fall within, or lie next to, a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Continuing the work of Neptune

In 2016, as part of the 50th anniversary of the Trust’s Neptune Coastline Campaign, we identi�ed the potential extension of the St Bees Head Heritage Coast as being

together to improve access, infrastructure, interpretation, public awareness and enjoyment of a spectacular 10km (6.2 mile) stretch of coastline and cli�, from Whitehaven to St Bees. The land is of extremely high value in terms of land and seascape, recognised through its variety of de�nitions and designations including Heritage Coast, Site of Special Scienti�c Interest (SSSI), Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) and several Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAM). However, it is also facing several threats, including being squeezed from coastal erosion on its seaward side and landward industrial and residential developments. These threats are further magni�ed by the area falling under a council which has many of its own challenges and stru�les to meet its obligations to the Heritage Coast.

The aims of the Colourful Coast project are:

1 Work in partnership with others.

2 Be a strong, championing voice for the area.

3 Protect and enhance natural and cultural features.

4 Inspire local people to become engaged.

The Trust hosts a project o®cer working on all the partner organisations’ behalf to support more joined-up activity across ownership boundaries along the coastline. A major piece of work we have been leading since 2016 is an extension to the St Bees Head Heritage Coast. We feel that this illustrates how we are using the ‘Beyond our Boundaries’ approach as a way to ful�l the project’s aims and also champion and protect this unique area.

Heritage Coast status

Heritage Coasts were established to conserve the best stretches of undeveloped coast in England and are de�ned by agreement between the local authorities (in this case, Copeland Borough Council) and Natural England. The designation agreement endorses actions to:

1 conserve, protect and enhance:

– the natural beauty of the coastline

– their terrestrial, coastal and marine �ora and fauna

– their heritage features

Looking towards Whitehaven and the extension area. © National Trust/Sophie Badrick


Lost in space? An urban property perspective on dark skiesJodie Peachey, Ranger, Gibside, Tyne & Wear

Continuing the good work

The next step is for the council and Natural England to agree on the new boundary and produce a Memorandum of Understanding to o®cially rede�ne the area. We hope that this won’t take too long.

We want to continue to build on the good relationships that we have developed with Copeland Borough Council o®cers and the momentum that has built up for the existing Heritage Coast area and the potential extension. We have su�ested that the Colourful Coast partnership could become the Heritage Coast steering group with the addition of some other interested bodies. One of the outputs of this group would be the production of a Management Plan for the area, a legal requirement that the St Bees Head Heritage Coast has never had.

present the report and our proposals to a subcommittee of the council. The proposals were well received, and councillors approved a council-led public consultation on the proposals in January and February 2019. We hosted a drop-in event during this time to give information, discuss the proposals, try to answer any questions and encourage consultation responses, whether positive or negative. In total, throughout all consultations, 60 responses were received by the council, which were all positive and supportive of the extension. In April 2019 a proposal to extend the Heritage Coast northwards towards Whitehaven and change the name to St Bees Head and Whitehaven Heritage Coast was approved by Copeland Borough Council. While this isn’t the �nal stage of the process, it felt like a huge hurdle to have overcome.

Urban skies

Urban sites are often overlooked when it comes to astronomy and stargazing. However, here at the urban fringe property of Gibside, we believe that we are a great place for experienced and budding astronomers alike. We are especially well-positioned in the �ght against light pollution.

The Bortle Scale measures nine levels of night-sky visibility (see image): Gibside sits on the boundary between 4 and 5. In pristine dark sky places, it is easy to get lost in space: with so many stars it can be di®cult to navigate and learn the brighter stars, constellations and planets. We are not saying we would not love pristine dark skies – we would! – but we feel that our skies can o�er fantastic opportunities for people to get to grips with the night sky, creating chances to develop and sustain a love for a part of our environment that is rapidly becoming less accessible.

Why are dark skies important?

‘The need for quiet, the need for air, the need of exercise… The sight of the sky

and of things growing seem human needs common to all.’

Octavia Hill

Even if you don’t care about seeing the stars, you are likely to care about the e�ects of light pollution. Arti�cial light is the cause of the decline in dark skies; from street lights to �ood-lit car parks and sports �elds, our world is getting brighter and brighter, and the transition from day to night is becoming more and more blurred.

Ecolo«

Whole ecosystems are a�ected by light pollution. For example, under arti�cial light, tree growth is less restrained, leaving them more susceptible to harsh winter weather events.

Moths attracted to arti�cial light become sedentary once they are near them; in the short lifespan of a moth where time is valuable for reproduction, this can have a huge impact on their populations. Furthermore, some moths change their �ight patterns in response to bats echolocating (use of sonar) for prey. Under

arti�cial light, moth responses have been shown to slow down, making them much more likely to be caught.

Human health

Like bats, the biological clocks of our organs and body processes can be disrupted by arti�cial light. In response to our circadian rhythm – our natural 24-hour cycle – our bodies produce the hormone melatonin which is important to our overall health. Night-time exposure to arti�cial light suppresses the production of melatonin and therefore can a�ect our biological clocks and overall health. Studies have linked night-time exposure to arti�cial light to dementia, breast cancer, prostate cancer, depression and obesity.1

It may surprise you to know that the light given o� by our phones, computers and television screens can all have an e�ect on our circadian rhythm.

This work has come at a time when, within sight of the St Bees Head Heritage Coast, the �rst UK deep-level coal mine in decades has been approved and a residential development had been consulted upon which aims to develop some of the new Heritage Coast extension area. While this stretch of coast has a long history of being an industrial resource, it is now being viewed for its intrinsic value – the unspoilt views, seascape, feeling of freedom, sights, sounds, natural heritage and access opportunities. It feels like the extra recognition, interest and protection of this unique stretch of coastline is de�nitely coming at the right time.

Opposite above: Gibside chapel. © Andrew Quinn 2019

Opposite right: The Bortle Scale. © Courtesy of International Dark Skies Association


temperature have a more detrimental e�ect on human health and the environment.

Light �ttings should direct light to where it needs to be; the best designed lighting produces only useful light without the e�ects of light trespass, light pollution and glare.

What next?

With all this in mind, I have begun the process of Gibside becoming an ‘Urban Dark Skies Place’. This designation is given by the International Dark Skies Association and recognises the e�orts of places to protect dark skies.3

The designation requires certain criteria to be met, such as having a Lighting Management Plan, gaining support and forming partnerships with local astronomical societies and organisations, and engaging the local community. The whole process could take up to two years.

The business case

There is fortune in the stars. Dumfries and Galloway Dark Sky Park (designated in 2019) found that since the park’s creation, 80% of local businesses reported an uplift in bookings: visitors are willing to turn out and pay for a truly engaging experience. The options for dark-sky viewing events

Cultural heritage

The night sky has inspired so much of our cultural heritage. To quote Vincent Van Gogh: ‘For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.’ It is sad to think that where ‘The Starry Night’ was painted, the Milky Way is now hidden by light pollution.

When we see a night sky twinkling with more stars than we could ever count, we are seeing exactly the same sky as our ancestors saw, the same sky of our histories and future happenings.

What can we do about light pollution?

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) provides an interactive map which shows how light pollution is distributed across England, Wales and Scotland.2 Gibside is impacted by the light pollution from the big urban populations of Newcastle, Gateshead, Durham and Sunderland. Comparing the 1993 and 2000 maps of the North East highlights the rapid spread of light pollution, with an increase of 42% within the region.

Colour temperature is important when installing lighting. Warm lights that emit an orange glow are better for human health, whereas white lights that have a cooler colour

The stars in the night sky are always there but what can be seen di�ers according to the amount of light pollution. © Jeremy Stanley (CC BY 2.0)

A guide to the skies:

Between early May to late July, the skies will be beautiful but it never gets truly dark. The rest of the year can make for great viewing, depending on the weather and moon phase. The moon itself can be a fantastic starting point for engaging people with the night sky.

SummerAlthough there will be fewer visible stars in mid-summer, summer is the only time to witness noctilucent (night-shining) clouds. August hosts the Perseid meteor shower, one of the year’s most anticipated meteor showers.

AutumnAutumn and spring provide the best viewing times. Nights are properly dark and draw in early. At this time of year, the Milky Way is visible overhead and in November, the Leonids meteor shower can put on a good show.

Winter As the temperatures drop, winter o�ers a chance to see the clearest skies. Orion is plainly distinct and the Andromeda galaxy can be seen with the naked eye.

SpringJupiter and Saturn make great viewing, especially with the aid of binoculars and telescopes. As the weather begins to warm, this is a great time to get viewing, with the constellation of Leo visible.


can dramatically and instantly stop the detrimental impacts of arti�cial lighting.

References1. Arti�cial Light at Night Research Literature

Database. Access via www.darksky.org/our-work/grassroots-advocacy/resources/research/ which includes notes on how to search the database.

2. Night Blight online map: www.nightblight.cpre.org.uk/maps

3. International Dark Skies Association www.darksky.org/

Stop light pollution

The night sky is an often overlooked part of the natural world. The International Dark Skies Association states that the sky is ‘one half of the entire planet’s natural environment’. Whether you agree with this statement or not, it is clear that although lighting can be good, it can also have signi�cant negative e�ects. However, what is di�erent from the other environmental challenges we are facing is that by making simple changes we

are huge although only one in �ve nights will be clear, so you may want a contingency plan! Viewing a meteor shower can be a great introduction to stargazing, especially the Perseid meteor shower that is perfectly placed in the warmth of August. Other possibilities include events such as ‘meet an astronomer’, ‘star camps’ and guided viewing led by a dark sky ranger.

Properties that use shielded lighting and only light areas that need to be lit will, of course, also reduce their ener� consumption and costs.

Surviving a year of no driving as a National Trust consultantVictoria Whitehouse, Fundraising Consultant, Cornwall and West Devon

We all rely on driving as part of our jobs. When I unfortunately had to surrender my licence for medical

reasons, my initial response was one of panic and despair. How on earth was I going to cope, working as a regional fundraising consultant, whilst living in remote west Cornwall with its notoriously sporadic public transport system?

One year on, I’ve survived going car-free: I’ve embraced the challenge, explored new ways of working and I’m still in my job. As a result, I feel healthier, I have experienced some glorious countryside, met some wonderful people and signi�cantly reduced my carbon footprint. Through exploring new ways of working, being �exible with my working hours and embracing new technolo�, I have also demonstrated improved e®ciency in the way I work. Perhaps this is something we could all learn from, rather than our blind reliance on jumping in the car…

Facing up to the challenge

Despite the often remote properties I work with being scattered across all four (or is it �ve or six?) corners of Cornwall and west Devon, I concluded that I just had to crack on and so my journey began.

My supportive line manager, who is open to �exible working, helped enormously and set me on the right track. With the help of

knowledgeable sta� and a friendly Trust corporate supporter, I bought my most essential tool, a folding electric bike, along with bright lights, high-vis vest and helmet. I learned to ignore my teenage children who taunt me, sni�er at my ‘uncool’ attire and refuse to be seen in public with me. My bike, a Raleigh Stow-E-Way, folds down small enough to be taken on public transport and chucked in the back of cars, and yet is robust enough to tackle even the most rough and pot-holed country lanes and tracks.

I have learnt that travelling by public transport can be relaxing and incredibly enlightening. One of the most rewarding aspects has been sharing experiences and stories with fellow travellers, particularly those like me who, for one reason or another, can’t drive: the disabled single mum who is at risk of losing her job because she doesn’t have a driving licence. The warm and friendly elderly couple who told me about how they used to enjoy family holidays at Pentire; they no longer drive so I sent them some photographs of the wild�owers on the cli�s at Pentire. Then there were the young girls on their way back from the Extinction Rebellion action on Waterloo Bridge, so passionate and adamant that they could change the world. All of them had an inspiring story to tell.

I have enjoyed chatting to rural bus drivers; they seem friendlier than their urban counterparts, often stopping in between bus stops to let me alight closer

to my destination. I have been welcomed at properties (‘There’s Vic, she always arrives on that bike…’) and enjoyed working from property o®ces for long hours to �t into public transport timetables. Lift-sharing has been a delight. I am very grateful to all the property sta� and volunteers who have o�ered me lifts, not least for the exclusive opportunity to talk one-to-one about their passions and frustrations for their properties. As a consultant, �nding time to listen to property sta� is so essential (as our Volunteering and Participation Director says, it’s good to be curious) and yet we all �nd so little time to do it.

It is heartening that people are, on the whole, very helpful and public spirited. There is the young lad regularly seen picking litter from around the bus stop at Trelissick, ticket collectors are understanding when my phone won’t download my train ticket, and there’s always a helping hand close by when I need assistance to lift my bike. I re�ect on the Trust’s focus on delivering great service as a result of these brief, cheering encounters.

Enjoying a healthy, beautiful, natural environment

A daily rush-hour drive up the A30 is hardly the best way to appreciate the natural environment. Cycling on the other hand, and to some extent my train journeys, has fully immersed me into some memorable

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early morning taxis to the railway station, or occasional help with getting to particularly inaccessible properties.

Train and bus travel also provide an opportunity for that rare commodity, ‘me time’. After a long day at work, when half the world appears to be stuck in tra®c on the A30, I can just switch o�, plug in my music, listen to a podcast, read a book or just stare out of the window at the ever-changing view. It’s a rare treat.

Making savings and lessons learnt

Over the last year the average mileage claim for South West consultants is over 4,000 miles. I have no doubt that many of these miles could have been undertaken via public transport. Through my forced quitting of driving, expense claims have been saved but also, more importantly, my carbon footprint has been signi�cantly reduced. I have cycled almost a thousand miles in the past year, further than Lands’ End to John O’Groats, plus in excess of 5,000 miles on the train and bus. I feel healthier, both physically and mentally, and satis�ed to have reduced my carbon footprint by approximately 1.5 tonnes of CO2.

Car-sharing and train travel should be more actively promoted by the Trust. Useful meetings and discussions can be had on long shared journeys, and with modern technolo� and a quiet seat, I’ve achieved a lot whilst working on the train; this article was written on the train somewhere between Bodmin and Penzance. I’ve managed to navigate myself through the impossible complexities of GWR’s wi-� provision and using my mobile as a ‘hotspot’. Webex meetings need to be more readily adopted and the necessary infrastructure installed, particularly in the more remote property o®ces.

Of course I would be lying if I said it has been an easy year: there have been challenges and frustrations. A lot of advance planning and mulling over timetables and calendars is required. However, being a ‘glass half-full’ person, I hope that in sharing some of the positive experiences I have had, others will be encouraged to re�ect on what is possible and be inspired to ditch the car every so often.

seasons change with the beautiful scent of bluebells in the air and the spring emergence of wild garlic and fresh bright beech leaves, speckled wood and fritillary butter�ies in glades in the sheltered oak woodlands. In the darker months, piles of leaves and mist hang over frosty meadows.

Cycling over the Clifton Suspension Bridge and down slippery tracks in Leigh Woods in the rain was thrilling, as is smugly weaving through stationary tra®c in the centre of Plymouth before veering o� into the green oasis of parkland at Saltram.

I am lucky to be able to bene�t from an Access to Work grant. One of the advantages of my role as a regional fundraiser is being aware of available grants, and this one is invaluable for anyone who, like me, can’t drive for medical reasons. This grant pays for

interactions with the natural world. My work base is the Cornwall Regional O®ce at Lanhydrock, so a regular cycle takes me from Bodmin Parkway railway station through the beautiful Lanhydrock parkland. The sight of the River Fowey, the slow climb through the avenue of majestic beech trees to eventually see the estate gates emerge at the top of the hill isn’t a bad way to start, and end, a day in the o®ce.

I’ve had close encounters with wildlife such as suicidal grey squirrels, barn owls hunting along hedges at dusk, startled scurrying badgers, �eeting glimpses of roe deer and a fox on the tracks at Bristol Parkway. Bird-watching from the train along the Teign Estuary was relaxing with oyster catchers and sandpipers busying themselves in the mud. I have watched the

A recognisable sight in the South West – the author on her bike, that is, as well as the Clifton Suspension Bridge. © National Trust/Victoria Whitehouse

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