Secret Gardens and Outdoor Sitting Rooms: the London Open Garden Squares Weekend

This weekend, 215 parks and gardens across 27 London boroughs will be open to the public as part of the London Parks and Gardens Trust’s annual Open Garden Squares Weekend. Presented in association with the National Trust, the weekend’s object is to showcase the ‘little known and hidden green spaces across the capital’. All types of city green space is represented, from include primary school nature gardens to garden squares in the West End usually closed to public view, from city farms and roof gardens the garden at No10 Downing Street. Ham House, OsterleyPark and Carlyle’s House are among the National Trust places opening their garden doors as part of the Weekend.

Visitors in the Hornbeam Arch in the garden at Ham House and Garden, Surrey (one of the gardens participating in the Open Garden Squares Weekend). ©National Trust Images/John Millar

The weekend is about recognising the value of these green spaces to city life. Parks and gardens – and natural spaces more generally – have been shown to improve human health and wellbeing, reducing levels of violence and improving people’s sense of community. They are the city’s green lung – or, in the rather more poetic words of Victorian social reformer Edward Bond, the ‘air-holes for labouring lungs’.

Urban green spaces also have a tangible economic benefit, proven by countless reports, like Groundworks’ What are they worth? published last year. The Skip Garden, a market garden and educational project created on a building site behind Kings Cross Station (and open to the public this weekend), offers young people from the local area the chance to develop business and horticultural skills, growing herbs and vegetables to sell to local restaurants. 

Concern for urban green space is in the National Trust’s blood. One of our founders, Octavia Hill, was a key figure in the late nineteenth century movement to preserve large open spaces in and around London for all.  In an essay of 1877, Open Space, she suggested that the ‘small open spaces’ that remained in the city be converted into ‘beautiful outdoor sitting rooms’, where ordinary Londoners could sit of a summers’ evening and where ‘tiny children might play on the gravel or grass with a sense of mother earth beneath them’.

This way of thinking has stayed with the Trust. Places like Ham House and OsterleyPark on the fringes of Central London, are places for Londoners to spend time in nature. At Sutton House, a Tudor merchant’s house in the heart of Hackney, an old car yard has been converted into a natural outdoor space for families to enjoy.

The National Trust’s London Project is channelling Octavia’s legacy in London. As well as partnering with LondonParks and Gardens Trust to deliver the Open Garden Squares Weekend, it is behind the Trust’s partnership with Chelsea Fringe, to provide over 200 nature-inspired events in and around London this summer. They include Octavia’s Orchard, a pop-up orchard in the heart of the South Bank opening this Saturday. 

Ivo Dawnay, Director of the National Trust’s London Project, said ‘our founder, Octavia Hill, started the National Trust 117 years ago to campaign for green spaces for Londoners to enjoy whatever their income. The London Parks and Gardens Trust’s Open Garden Squares Weekend is a modern example of this worthwhile cause, getting Londoners into those special, often hidden and locked, green places we all enjoy.’

So whether you’re a keen gardener looking for new ideas, a budding chef in search of fresh flavours, or just after a tranquil couple of days in one the city’s secret gardens, the Open Garden Squares Weekend has the garden for you. Discover a new place to treasure this weekend.

• Where will you be visiting this weekend? Let us know via twitter @NTExtAffairs or in the comments box below!

Row, row, row your boat

Based in Cornwall and passionate about paddling, Sal Erskine is the National Trust’s Canoeing Development Manager. Howard Bristol asked Sal about her connection with the coast and what feeds her love of canoeing.

Kayaking at Mullion Cove, Cornwall. ©National Trust Images/Ben Selway.

What is your favourite place on the coast?

It’s really hard to choose. Can I have the entire South West Coast Path? But then that leaves out mind-blowingly beautiful places in Northumberland, or Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland. My favourite coastal weather is much easier to say – I love a storm. The raw interface of land and sea is incredibly invigorating (from land, not kayak obviously). Lashing rain, howling wind, resolved by that enveloping silence when you dash inside and shut the door.

What does the coast mean to you?

It’s a huge and significant part of my life. The coast has a magnetic draw, and I am fortunate to find myself there both for work and play. Paddling, sailing and walking the same section of coast is intriguing – you never stop making discoveries with different states of tide, weather and season. As a young child I went on holiday to the coast between Salcombe and Dartmouth in south Devon a lot. Again extremes, from loving the heady coconut-scented gorse on a sunny day, to the impossible task of getting socks and shoes back onto wet sandy feet. During one of these early holidays I realised that some people got to care and maintain the coast path, and a seed was sown for my future career.

Kayaking around Thurlestone Rock off South Milton Sands, Devon.
©National Trust Images/Ben Selway

Where are the main coastal places to go canoeing with the National Trust?

If you haven’t got your own kit or you want some coaching, local wildlife knowledge and a group activity, we work with some really great activity providers to get people out on the water around the coasts of Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Wales -http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/activities/canoeing/. There are lots of options; estuary paddles in places like Helford or Fowey, or coastal excursions from Mullion Harbour, Studland or Stackpole. Depending on the location you could be in a Canadian canoe, kayak or sit on top.

If you are considering paddling on the coast with your own kit you need enough knowledge e.g. weather, tides, rules of the road at sea, correct kit, to risk assess the journey you are planning.

What’s the best thing about canoeing?

You get a different perspective of the landscape you are in, a huge dose of fresh air – and maybe a little wet. It’s a great opportunity to observe wildlife, learn about the history of an area, and get some exercise.

What do you enjoy in particular?

I enjoy being well away from a mobile phone or computer and completely in the moment.

• What do you love about canoeing? Let us know in the comment box at the end of this post.

‘Stop the Spread’ catches on at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

In the words of the Counting Crows, ‘don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?’

The ‘Stop the Spread’ garden, which won silver at Chelsea this week, gave nature lovers a glimpse into the fate of our wildlife if we do not take action now.

The message was clear; if we do not fight the sneezes and diseases that are spreading from non-native species in our gardens and countryside, such as Chalara ash dieback and Oak Processionary Moth, the landscapes we love could be lost forever.

The Food & Environment Research Agency’s show garden, which was sponsored by the National Trust and created by award-winning designer Jo Thompson (this was Jo’s fourth Chelsea design), showed a stark contrast between ‘beauty’ and ‘ugliness’.

A lush and vibrant sunken spring garden, bordered by native trees and shade-loving plants was juxtaposed with a dark avenue of dead trees and a lifeless black pool, which featured an island holding a single sapling.

“The garden is meant to be thought provoking,” Jo said. “I designed it to creatively show what impact plant pests and diseases and invasive non-native species can have on our environment now and for future generations.”

See her design coming to life in the video below:

Ian Wright, the Trust’s garden adviser in the South West said: “Plant pests and diseases are a huge issue for the Trust as we care for 250,000 hectares of land across the UK and over 200 gardens – much of which could be at risk from various diseases.

“By working together we will have a better chance of identifying any issues quicker and have a better chance to do something about it, helping to protect our landscape and gardens for future generations.”

Other partners supporting the Fera ‘Stop the Spread’ garden included Defra, Forestry Commission, Welsh Government, Scottish Government, Woodland Trust, Horticultural Trades Association and Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation.

The Chelsea Flower show runs until tomorrow, May 25.

Find out more about how you can help to protect our landscape and gardens here.

How much do you value getting children outdoors?

In the second of our two pieces to mark the release of National Parks England’s Valuing National Parks report, Tom Seaward looks at the importance of the National Parks in connecting children and nature.

Buy my brother a drink and he’ll tell you a story. In fact, he’ll probably tell you the story anyway. Drink or no drink.

He was tramping across a sodden Dartmoor landscape with a group of school friends. They had been sent out on an outdoors exercise, training for a Duke of Edinburgh award expedition. Looking up, they could see shadowy figures, standing out against the brackish moor. The group took them for teachers – sent to check up on their progress – and began to wave.

The figures didn’t wave back.

The boys became more frantic, waving with all the energy that wet, tired arms could muster. Eventually, after a minute or so of this frantic waving, one of the shadowy figures on the horizon raised an embarrassed arm before sloping off.

It was only on returning to their camp that night that my brother and his friends discovered that the shadowy figures were not those of their teachers.

‘So where exactly were you?’ they were asked. The boys jabbed at the map. ‘Ah,’ the teacher smiled, ‘that, lads, is where they train the snipers…’

It’s a story that is intimately connected to the harsh moorland landscape. Without the moor – without its wildness, protected by the Dartmoor National Park Authority – there would be no story. No story to fire the imaginations of a chattering bunch of teenage boys, strengthening their connection with and fondness for the outdoors.

National Parks England has today published a report, Valuing England’s National Parks, that demonstrates the clear contribution of the English National Parks to economic prosperity and wellbeing.

But our National Parks should also be valued for the important part they play in connecting children in this country with nature and the outdoors. In giving young people a taste of true wildness, they can help address the current disconnection between children and nature highlighted in last year’s Natural Childhood report. Children with experience of nature are more likely to care enough about the natural environment to want to fight to save it. This is especially important in light of this week’s State of Nature report. Published by the RSPB, it found that almost a third of the native species of wildlife studied has declined strongly over the past 50 years. 

A survey published earlier this year and quoted in today’s report asked people whether they wanted every child to experience a National Park first hand. 96% said they did.

For many children – including my brother – that first hand experience will be on an adventure challenge or outdoors expedition, like that required of Duke of Edinburgh Award hopefuls.

One such challenge is the Ten Tors, a long distance yomp across Dartmoor organised by the Army for groups of young people. Helped by other National Trust staff, Adrian Colston, General Manager for the National Trust on Dartmoor, has been coaching several teams for the event.

He says of Ten Tors, ‘it develops young people tremendously.’ It is about ‘team work, endurance, learning to suffer, gaining new skills, getting outdoors and close to nature – as well as providing the participants with a real sense of achievement.’ 

Adrian is Team Manager of National Trust Wild Tribe, a programme of activity days and events to encourage young people and families to experience the countryside and wildlife in new, exciting ways. Several young Wild Tribe teams completed the Ten Tors event earlier this month.

‘I strongly believe that Ten Tors participants will really drive the future of Britain’, Adrian says. ‘The future of the UK economy will not only be won on the playing fields of Eton, but also on the Tors of Dartmoor.’

Activities like the Ten Tors can help expose young people to the captivating wildness of our National Parks. These Parks play a vital part in efforts to get children outdoors – to spark a lifelong interest in nature. As today’s National Parks England report spells out, the contribution they make to the economic vitality of the country is considerable. But they should also be valued for the part they play in getting children outdoors and closer to nature.

Tom Seaward is the Natural Childhood intern.

Does money really grow on trees?

If you could put a ballpark figure on the value of our nation’s green spaces what would it be?

According to Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner Homebase, green-fingered Britons have already spent more than £20billion on their backyards this year alone.

And it is no wonder, as flower power is estimated to add nearly one quarter to a home’s value.

Money grows on echinops and butterflies according to a National Parks England report

Beyond our garden fences and window boxes, green spaces are proving to be a boon for business.

A new report published today by National Parks England shows the importance of National Parks not just as iconic landscapes and part of our national identity, but as thriving rural economies contributing to national prosperity and wellbeing.

The study revealed that England’s National Parks contributed up to £6.3bn to the economy last year – equivalent to the UK aerospace industry, or the bustling city of Swindon where the National Trust’s headquarters is found.

It is doubtful that the 95million visitors to our valuable ‘breathing spaces’ will care less about these figures while walking amongst some of our nation’s most spectacular wildlife.

The value taken from hearing skylarks on Cheviot Hills or from catching your breath before the rolling panoramic views at Latrigg summit is not something that can be measured by pounds and pence.

However, the £3bn spent by visitors who love to explore beauty certainly can be. And it is our nation’s natural beauty that drives tourism in these areas.

Skylark collecting nesting material

Planning policy currently gives special protections to National Parks to ward against unwarranted development.

Only builds that are of benefit to the local community and to the preservation of wildlife and beauty can be allowed on these highly valued landscapes.

Rather than this protection strangling economic growth, the report states that a significant majority of planning applications in National Parks are being approved by local park authorities (89%, compared to 87% for England as a whole).

These are developments that are fit for the future and contribute to the conservation of the environment, with ecosystem services that underpin activities such as farming, forestry, reduce costs to society by improving health and wellbeing, and help to maintain a healthy environment in which people can live and work.

The National Trust believes it is vital that we have a planning policy that really values all of our green spaces as treasures and recognises the wealth of benefits they can hold for our wildlife, for our communities and for our economy.

• What value does nature hold for you? Let us know by commenting below or tweeting @NTExtAffairs

Delightful Discoveries at Dinefwr

In this blogpost  Morwenna Slade goes to Dinefwr Park in South Wales to explore their new solar installation.

 “So, how was your trip to Dinefwr?”

“Well, I had a ride in an electric car, I saw some beautiful parkland and I had all my preconceptions about ground mounted solar arrays blown out of the water.”

I grew up running around the beautiful fields and valleys of south Wales, and I struggle to embrace change in the landscape if it is wrought by new buildings or infrastructure. Yet in the same breath I will be the first person to tell you how important change is and how amazing green technology can be. It is not easy to want something but be scared of the impact on the landscape that you know and love.

I really wasn’t sure what I was going to see when I arranged for Stephen Batsford, Dinefwr House Steward, to show me the new 50kW solar panel installation built in 2012. Everyone can spot a solar panel attached to the roof of a house. They seem to be popping up everywhere. Yet I have never seen a ground mounted one up close. The visual impact of roof mounted panels can be quite extreme, so I automatically assumed that they would have the same impact when put in a field. I was concerned that I would go and see an ugly scar on an otherwise pleasant green space, and feel conflicted.

Coming into the yard of Dinefwr Home Farm complex, Stephen indicated the electric car charging-point on the wall of the barn, then turned and pointed across the field to where, just a few hundred yards away, the electricity was being generated. It was then I had the feeling that – just maybe – it was possible to put solar panels in a field and for it to be ok.

DinefwrPark is near Llandeilo in South Wales, and encompasses the ruins of a 12^th century castle, a mansion house, a Capability Brown landscape and a medieval deer park. The allotments, orchard and solar installation are all beside the Home Farm complex, quite a distance from the mansion house itself. According to Keith Jones, EPA for Wales, the complex has become a ‘hub of environmental solutions’, and home to organisations such as the Traditional Skills Training Centre. It is possible to visit the main property and leave without knowing anything about the range of green energy and community schemes that are in place.

Between the home farm and the solar panels is the wonderful clutter of a busy allotment. Bean frames, sheds and compost heaps mark out the keenly tended plots and seemed to soften the distant square edges. Walking through the young trees of the newly planted orchard, and even up close, I was surprised how little impact the installation seemed to have on the setting.

Standing in that field, I was very aware of how lightly the slim, stainless steel mountings and reflective surfaces of the panels sat amongst the timeless elements of landscape. Just like the ancient oak in the centre of the field, the installation is there quietly in a corner making good use of the sunlight. The steep hills rising up from the valley floor and the ancient trees dotted through the farmland just didn’t seem to mind the newcomer.

Until I took this trip to DinefwrCastle, I hadn’t really thought about infrastructure that is hidden in plain sight, which lies just behind hedgerows or is secreted along the side of a busy road. How many times have you driven past the distribution substation at the end of your road without giving it a second or even a first thought? Energy generation and infrastructure, be it green or otherwise, is a subject that is guaranteed to get a passionate response. But on a personal level, and having now stood in the same field as an array of panels, I am so much happier to say that well designed and well placed renewable energy installations really can be in tune with the landscape.

Find out more about the National Trust’s renewables programme here:

http://ntenvironmentalwork.net/2013/03/09/dinefwr-home-farm-environmental-treasure-house/

How the coast helps Nick Weston get closer to nature

Perhaps most famous for giving up his city life to build and live in a tree house, Nick Weston knows a thing or two about getting outdoors and closer to nature. Now running a foraging and cookery school in Sussex, he tells us about his adventures at Cuckmere Haven, where the white cliffs remain a source of inspiration.

NB: Cuckmere Haven is a protected SSSI and voluntary MCZ; foraging is a great way to get closer to nature, but you need to gain permission and have some understanding of the environment from which you’re foraging beforehand.

The Cuckmere estuary, with the spectacular white Seven Sisters cliffs beyond. ©National Trust Images/David Noton

The walk there was always the most taxing part: Cuckmere Haven is a good trot from the car park. Even as children, armed with nets, fossil hammers and buckets, we decided that mountain bikes were the answer, as we could never wait to get there. Loaded with all our gear, off we went to set up camp on the beach for the day.

On approach, there is no inkling of the magnificence that lies beyond. Once on the comfortable pebbles that line the beach, the Seven Sisters reveal themselves in all their glory – one of Great Britain’s true landmarks.

Tides willing, we went straight to the rock pools to catch blennies, crabs and whatever else found its way into our nets. As the years went by, my three feral friends and I, who were regular fishing companions, discovered the common prawn here. The culinary aspect of the coast gave us a glimpse of what was on offer, and rock pooling became more than just a delve into the natural world beneath the seaweed; it could feed us if our hunting skills were up to scratch.

Over the years Cuckmere Haven has never been short of surprises: from finding a piece of iron pyrites the size of a cannonball (paired with flint it was the Mesolithic lighter), to catching my first bass, to rubber ringing out of the estuary as the tide runs out, eating my first raw limpet, and discovering wonderful edible plants… not to mention the buckets of prawns from my youth. The place is a never-ending voyage of discovery.

Limpets and barnacles. ©National Trust Images/John Millar

Today, I still visit the Haven often, and the coastal larder never fails to amaze me. Of course, as an excitable twelve year old, I never dreamed that my job would be as good as it really is. I’m a hunter-gatherer and I have a hunter-gatherer school deep in the Sussex countryside. We teach butchery, trapping, foraging, and outdoor cookery, with elements of bush craft to make everything complete. This isn’t about survival; this is about living comfortably in the wild, and discovering great food from Mother Nature’s larder.

As a hunter-gatherer the coast holds endless possibilities: from exploring rock pools and gathering seaweeds and the crustaceans that lurk beneath them, to casting a line over the bass hunting grounds. Even if this isn’t fruitful, a short walk into the salt marshes reveals a number of wild edibles: sea purslane, marsh samphire, rock samphire, sea aster, and sea beet – and a very recent discovery, sea arrowgrass, which has the flavour of coriander. It is little wonder that the salt marsh lamb that idly wanders these rich pastures grazing 24-7 tastes as good as it does.

View of the Cuckmere estuary and Seven Sisters. ©National Trust Images/David Noton

As a place that has seen so much, be it smugglers, fisherman or foragers, I bet the white walls of Cuckmere Haven would have some interesting tales to tell. The Haven is a place of unrivalled beauty, and I am truly grateful that such places continue to exist in this day and age.

• Do you have a strong relationship with the coast? Feel free to share with us in the comment box below.