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, 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.