Planting round the new pond

The area around the smaller pond next to the stone bridge has been landscaped to allow a greater area to be planted with summer flowering perennials.
The soil here is mostly very heavy clay, hence the pond!  Clay soils can be very challenging to garden as they become water-logged during the winter months and in the drier summer months can harden to an impenetrable concrete-like consistency.
The plants chosen for the pond garden have to be able to put up with such difficult conditions as well as putting on a good show of summer and early autumn colour.  Hopefully the flowers will also provide a useful nectar source for native insects and many species have been chosen for this purpose.
The bank of earth just above the pond garden will also be planted up with a range of shade loving woodland perennials, with an emphasis on spring flowers.
It is hoped that once the plants become established, the garden will be managed solely by strimming it down in late winter and allowing the plant material to act as a mulch.  Until then we expect to control some of the more vigorous weeds by hand weeding but will allow some grasses and rushes to grow between the flowering perennials.

Much of the preparation and planting was done by volunteers, if you would like to know about volunteering oportunities in the arboretum, click Here

For more information and details of the plants used, click Here

Branching Out

Online bidding has now started and will run till noon on September 30th. Click Here to see all the pieces or to place a bid.

Branching Out is a project of the Liveries Wood Group: the Worshipful Companies of Carpenters,  Furniture Makers, Joiners & Ceilers, Turners, and Upholders, ancient Guilds of the City of London.
The Group’s strong interest in wood leads it to support the Arboretum Trust.
The Group has invited selected artists, actors, designers and other creative and imaginative people to transform a small piece of dead oak branch into a work of art, to be auctioned in aid of the Arboretum. They must fit into a box measuring (internally) 200 mm long, 100 mm wide and 100 mm high.  They have been painted, gilded, carved, embellished – there are no rules on style, the only rule is that the final result must fit in its box!
Each work of art will be signed by its maker. It will be photographed and shown on internet sites, posters and flyers.  All the transformed branches will be displayed at Wild About Wood, at the Arboretum at Castle Howard, September 11-12th. Then they will be on show at Bonhams before being auctioned in September 16th. Proceeds will be donated to the Arboretum. Only a few pieces will be auctioned on the night. It will be possible to bid on line for most pieces shortly.
Contributors include Joanna Lumley, Dame Janet Baker, David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Tessa Sanderson, Bill Beaumont, Matthew Pinsent, Sarah Fabergé (designer - with Steven Dennis, maker), Tony Husband (cartoonist), Professor John Oxford (virologist, with Tom Brooke, wood artist), Alderman Michael Bear, Martin Grierson (furniture maker), Andrew Varah (furniture maker), Valence School GCSE students (school for severely disabled children, Philip Rae-Scott (winner of Arkwright scholarship Design & Technology), Paul Ferguson (wood carver & gilder), Vicky Rae-Scott (gilder), Susan Dart (art teacher), Students of Rosemary Meara (art teacher at comprehensive school), Stuart Mortimer (turner, well-known and collected particularly in USA), Mary Butcher (Trade Adviser to Basketmakers’ Company), Peter Ellis (Master Turner), David Bamber, Fiona Kimm (singer), Binh Pho (renowned American turner), Joey Richardson (turner), Jon Snow, Sebastian Conran, John Makepeace, Terry Molloy (Mike Tucker, Tree Warden in The Archers), Tony Kirkham (Kew), Simon Howard, Sir John Stuttard, John Barber D.L., David Savage, Guy Malllinson, Saena Ku (wood carving tutor), Jocelyn Burton (silversmith & goldsmith), Margaret Garrard (turner), Dr Malcolm Cobb (turner), Matt Nicholls (designer working at Cockpit Arts Studios), Piers Gough (architect), Rebecca Campbell (painter, decorated two of the current London elephants), Althea McNish (textile artist), John Weiss (jeweller & silversmith), Toby Davies (furniture maker, Cockpit Arts Studios), John Berkeley (box & puzzle maker, Paul Thomas (letter carver & sign maker), Reg Hawthorne (turner), Stuart King (turner and historian), Katie Abbott (pole lathe turner), Alfred Daniels, Jason Muteham.

Further details and examples of some of the work can be seen Here

New Curator

We now have a full time curator – Jan Hoyland – who has been working for the National Trust for a number of years (some of you may know her from her time at Nunnington Hall and Rievaulx). Jan will not only manage and develop the arboretum but she will also manage the restoration of the Woodland Garden in Ray Wood, Castle Howard, which due to neglect and lack of maintenance (particularly the paths, steps and tree canopy) is in danger of degenerating into a wilderness. The Arboretum Trust has been able to secure a significant grant to preserve and stabilise this spectacular collection of hardy woody plants which is unique in Britain and Europe.

Osprey Sculpture

In March 2010 a stainless steel sculpture of an osprey catching a fish was installed in the arboretum lake. The sculpture was commissioned by the arboretum and crafted by James Morris in his workshop in Terrington.
Around the arboretum you may notice several pieces of work created by James, ranging from the armillary, the reed sculptures in the edge of the lake and the finial in the centre of the whitebeam seat.

For further examples of James' work see the Sculpsteel website

See the article in the Country View section of the Yorkshire Post of March 12, 2010

Orienteering Trail

Recently a permanent orienteering course has been created in the Arboretum. This was made possible by the generous support of Money Matters Business Consultancy who sponsored the mapping and the creation of the route maps, which are available for a small contribution in the Education and Visitors Centre.

For full details of all Orienteering Events during 2009 please speak to Dr. Katherine Forsey in the visitors centre or e-mail education@kewatch.co.uk

Explorienteering
A fun introduction to orienteering for school and community groups. Available through The Arboretum Trust Education Programme. For further details speak to Dr Katherine Forsey in the visitors centre or e-mail education@kewatch.co.uk

New Buggy

We are grateful to CPP, Leeds Building Society and the Howardian Hills AONB through their Sustainable Development Fund for supporting us when our two old mobility buggies were out of action and beyond repair.

Their financial support enabled us to buy a super new mobility buggy which will enable people with limited mobility to enjoy most of the arboretum.

Click Here to see some of the quotes from the sponsors.

The buggy is available every day free of charge when normal admission is paid,- a donation to help defray maintenance and insurance costs would be appreciated. Note, for health and safety reasons, the rider must be accompanied by an able bodied person. To avoid disappointment please make your booking at least 24 hours in advance, contact our centre manager on  01653 648598.

Quality Badge

TRUST IN THE ARBORETUM FOR QUALITY LEARNING

The Arboretum Trust is one of the first organisations in the country to be awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, recognising it as a provider of quality, safely managed educational experiences for young people.

The Arboretum Trust’s Education Development Officer, Dr Katherine Forsey said “I am immensely proud of The Arboretum Trust being awarded the Quality Badge. It is a real stamp of approval that the activities we offer young people are recognised as being of high quality. We have always worked closely with local schools and youth groups to provide quality learning in a safe environment. We know that children really benefit from these important experiences and it’s great to have all our hard work acknowledged in this way.”

The badge is designed to make it easier for teachers to identify providers of quality educational visits. Organisations will display the badge to show schools that their venue has met required standards, so teachers do not need to carry out their own risk or quality assessments.

For more details click Here

Composting

The Arboretum's Composting Zone has been created thanks to a grant from The Howardian Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund. The new composting area contains three large bins that will be filled with compostable material produced by the Arboretum Cafe and fruit peelings left over from children's packed lunches when they visit the arboretum on school trips. If you're not sure what goes on in the bins or what you can put in them just have a peek at the side of the bins. Each bin has a large information board on it which introduces visitors to the wonderful world of compost, from greens, browns and no-no's to compost creatures. Thanks toHenshaws College in Harrogate each information board also has sections in Braille so blind and visually impaired visitors can also find out more about composting. We hope to develop this area even further in the future, working with the North Yorkshire Rotters, a local volunteer group dedicated to promoting composting.

New homes for Minibeasts built

In October 2008 a team of Education Programme volunteers set to creating and improving the Minisbeast Zones which are used by the Arboretum to introduce children to the wonderful world these little creatures live in. Using natural materials recovered from around the arboretum and wooden pallets kindly donated by YDL Distribution at Barton Hill two Habitat Hotels were built and many large log piles were created. We hope the new habitats will attract a greater number of woodland invertebrates to the Arboretum. The day was really enjoyable and the resulting habitats will help the Education Programme accomodate the ever growing number of school groups visiting the Arboretum to take part in Minibeast Hunts!

If you would like to be involved in habitat creation days at the Arboretum please contact Katherine on education@kewatch.co.uk. The Education Programme is also looking for a new volunteer to lead habitat creation days once or twice a year, contact Katherine if you'd like to chat about what's involved or visit the education programme's volunteering page for an application form.

The Outdoor Classroom

The Outdoor Classroom went up in April 2008 and has been a tremendous success, providing a unique learning environment for school groups, a fabulous picnic area for children's parties and shelter from the rain. The large tented structure sits between two ancient Oak trees, has log seats and a woodchip floor, the whole experience is very close to nature. All visiting school groups have free use of the Outdoor Classroom as part of their visit and if you are interested in booking it for your private party then contact Katherine on education@kewatch.co.uk. The classroom is available from March to the end of October.

We are very grateful to the support of one of the Arboretum's members who has helped to ensure the outdoor classroom's roof is maintained and will continue to provide cover for the many school groups that will visit the arboretum in the future.

Community Sculpture Trail 2008.

Bank Holiday Monday May 5th 2008 saw the launch of a brand new Sculpture Exhibition and Trail which runs until the end of October 2008 The works on the trail have been created by both professional and amateur artists and also school children from the local communities of Ryedale and Hambleton.

The exhibition is brought to you by The Arboretum Trust Education Programme and is supported by a Ryedale District Council Small Arts Grant. The Education Programme is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and The Ernest Cook Trust.

For details of the exhibition and trail click Here.

Education Development Officer.

Thanks to a £49,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) we have been able to appoint our own Education Development Officer, Katherine Forsey.
Katherine, who started work in January, is developing our education programme, that, when fully established, will offer a range of activities for school groups, families and all those interested in finding out more about the arboretum ecosystem.
The activities will range from fun events through to working with school groups to provide high quality learning outside the classroom meeting national curriculum objectives.
For further information, please contact:
Katherine Forsey, Education Development Officer, The Arboretum Trust on (01653) 648598 or education@kewatch.co.uk

The Café in the Arboretum

Opened on February 10, 2007, and is open during normal Arboretum hours.
The emphasis is on freshly cooked, good quality food, locally sourced where possible.The menu includes homemade scones (with jam and clotted cream or savoury with pickles/chutneys and cheese), toasted teacakes, homemade cakes (the lemon drizzle is to die for), delicious homemade soups with fresh bread and sandwiches made to order (the hot bacon sandwiches are highly recommended).
There is also a variety of teas, excellent coffee and hot chocolate (just the thing after a walk on a crisp day!)  and, when the warmer days come along, cool soft drinks.

Wollemi Pine

In September 2006 we were fortunate to acquire 4 specimens of the rare Wollemi Pine.

One specimen is on display in our Education and Visitor's Centre, the other 3 are being over wintered in a cool greenhouse so that they can be planted out in the arboretum during spring time.

The Wollemi Pine, previously only known by fossil records, was discovered in 1994 in Sydney's Blue Mountains by David Noble, a New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Services officer.

There are only a few known stands of Wollemi Pines with less than 100 mature trees.

To find out more on this rare and endangered tree click Here.

Study and Visitors Centre

2003 saw the launch of our ‘Study and Visitor Centre Appeal’, the centre was opened for the public in May 2006. The centre was officially opened in May 2007 by Lord Selborne KBE FRS, Chairman of the Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and named 'The John Simmons Centre' in recognition of the massive contribution that John has made to the arboretum since 1997.

The centre provides much needed facilities for education, research and visitors.

To support these three areas we needed accommodation for talks, a library and resource area, and space to develop a children’s education program. For our members, visitors and staff our needs were as basic as cloakrooms but we would also like to provide (on a small scale) catering, sales and information areas to keep pace with our growing visitor numbers.

For a photographic record of the progress in the construction, please click Here.

Interpretive Arbour

Final year Higher National Certificate learners studying furniture design and restoration/conservation at York College have been instrumental in designing and constructing an interpretive arbour on ‘diseased wood samples’ for us as one of their primary units on the course.

The interpretive arbour is a timber shelter containing both information and samples of diseased woods. Whilst ‘disease’ can cause decay and faults in timber, the different grains caused by ‘disease’ in woods are much loved by all furniture makers as the variations in the grain give the designs uniqueness, thereby making stylish and interesting pieces of furniture.

Sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers the interpretive arbour is sited at the south end of the Furniture Makers Walk.

For a photographic record of the development of the arbour, please click Here

New Seat

Final year Higher National Certificate students of furniture design and restoration/conservation at York College have crafted an eight-foot long English oak seat in four parts, each designed like the leaves of a whitebeam tree.

To see more pictures of the piece and the people involved in its creation please click Here

Baucis and Philemon

A new sculpture entitled ‘Baucis and Philemon’ was installed on Bracken Hill in July 2004. The conceptual sculpture – based on the legend of Baucis and Philemon - is made of branches of lime and oak, the branches of the piece and the 400 individually hand made leaves are made from about 1.4 kilometres of copper wire.

The piece, part of a project at Malton School funded by the Barclays New Futures Award Scheme, was created by Giles Edsall, a former pupil together with a number of art students from the school.

To see more pictures of the piece and the people involved in its creation please click Here

New ‘Buggies’

As a result of generous donations the arboretum has been able to purchase two buggies that enable people of limited mobility to see more of the arboretum.

Prior booking is essential (a couple of days notice would be appreciated) please call us on 01653 648160 to make arrangements.

Note that no additional charge is made for the use of the buggies but a donation would be appreciated so that we can continue to develop new facilities.

The LowerLake.

During 2002, with sponsorship from Yorkshire Water, the Lower Lake was reclaimed from Atkinson’s Bog. Work is in progress preparing the foundations for a surrounding walk with new bridges crossing the streams. The new bridges are being constructed in a traditional style from locally sourced timber.

It is hoped to open the walk later this year.

Bird Feeding Station

The aim of this project was to provide a place for our visitors to see some of the wonderful bird life in part of the arboretum, and to provide rest and shelter. Most importantly the structure had to be environmentally sound, and blend with and contribute to the landscape.

This is a very ‘green’ building using straw bales covered by lime mortar (even the sand was dug from the Sand Bank). The roof shingles are hand cut from a Sweet Chestnut felled in the arboretum and the green oak timbers were locally sourced.

The structure is topped off with a Dovecote, which is currently home to a pair of White Doves.

The Bird Feeding Station was made possible by a generous donation from a local benefactor.

We are also indebted to George Buckton Ltd. of Driffield, a subsidiary of Cranswick plc for supplying our wild bird food.

For images of the development of the bird feeding station click here.

The Rootery

The Rootery was formed during 2002. The old roots and stumps have been gathered from around the estate.

The Rootery has been cleverly designed and blends perfectly into the landscape surrounding the Arboretum Lake.

The planting is such as to provide year round interest

The Cruck House

The Cruck House was built to commemorate the life of the late Peter Garthwaite O.B.E.

Peter was the Patron of Woodland Heritage, an eminent Chartered Forester, a Past President of the Royal Forestry Society and a careful and sensitive naturalist with a long experience of woodland management systems.

The design was based on a traditional English cruck framed building and used oak and chestnut from the Castle Howard Estate.

Most of the work was done using traditional tools – the shingles were all split and cleft by hand, the rafters were all made square by axes.

The Cruck House provides a fitting shelter from the summer sunshine and the autumn rain.

For images of the development of the Cruck House click here.