A Week on the Estate: Lake Arborists, Saturday Diary & Fresh Knowledge
The rhyme ‘never think to cast a clout / Until the month of May be out’ first appeared in print in 1732 and is still cited today when winter seems to linger well into spring. That said, ‘the month of May’ could have originally referred to the first flowering of the May tree, better known today as the hawthorn. Either way, we must respect the fickleness of our maritime climate. In that spirit, the week to come has a north-easterly character with highs of 12C, lows of 3C and plenty of showery overcast. We may see lows around freezing over the Easter weekend so do keep your clout handy.
Rain or shine, there’s plenty going on in our neck of the woods. Damian Furlong was on hand to take photos when the Spirit of Sutterby met at the ruined 11th-century St Andrew’s Church near Calceby. With the assistance of local archaeological expert David Start, they analysed the remains, focussing on the arch that collapsed in 2019. The Spirit of Sutterby is a community heritage project devoted to researching the past and recording the present of this corner of the Lincolnshire Wolds. They bring new life to forgotten medieval settlements which now exist only as lumps and bumps in pasture, and connect us with past generations. If you’d like to discover more and get involved, click HERE.
At the Hall, the team from Ebsford Environmental got cracking on improvement work at the Lake under the watchful eye of one of our resident mute swans. Particularly eye-catching was their use of a tough and substantial raft with a rope guideline to make short work of crossing the water. We’re systematically improving the Lake’s appearance, using 18th and 19th century paintings and drawings as a guide. Fencing and tree-crowding is being reduced, there’ll be new and sympathetic planting, and the edging will be improved with no use of concrete. We’re also restoring the Lake’s depth to 2m as it’s only inches deep at the moment and is prone to drying up in harsh summers. These measures will encourage all sorts of new life. For more on this year’s big plans, click HERE.
At the heart of our vision is the Saturday Club, offering young people between 13 and 17 years of age the chance to tackle some of the vital, hands-on jobs that go into running a 21st-century rural estate. They also earn a wage and get to pick up all sorts of useful skills and knowledge through our enrichment scheme.
