Winter willow weaving at Whitehall
Whitehall Meadows LNR, located just 10 minutes walk from
the high street in Canterbury, beyond Westgate gardens was once managed as
a traditional water meadow, seasonally flooded to enrich the surrounding
grass for cattle to graze. Willow grew along the riverbanks, and was
sustainably harvested every few years for a multitude of different uses,
from basket making to use as a building material. The Canterbury born
Victorian landscape painter T.S Cooper depicted many idyllic scenes from
the meadows of cattle grazing with the Cathedral in the background. So
now, just over 100 years after these scenes were painted, farming
practices have changed and the site is now managed for conservation and
recreation. But to help promote the history of the site, the KSCP
commissioned local artist Martin Brockman to create three stunning cattle
sculptures made of willow harvested from the site by KSCP volunteers.
Martin was assisted by year 11 art students from Canterbury High School.
The cattle can be seen on Bingley Island overlooking the river towards
Toddlers Cove play area. Look out for the new interpretation panel near
the entrance to the site. It includes lots of information about the
importance of the site and the wildlife that can be found there, so why
not go and find out for yourself?
Apple Day celebrations
This year, No Man’s Orchard celebrated the National
Annual Apple Day with an afternoon of music provided by Canterbury
Accordion Band on 23rd October. Chatham Hatch Village Hall was
packed with over 70 people, who not only had the delightful experience of
listening to the 8-piece band but also had the chance of buying local
apple products such as juice and cake in the interval. The afternoon was
included as an umbrella event by the Canterbury Festival, and all proceeds
raised will go back into the management and maintenance of the orchard.
Sad news for the Serpent
The serpent at No Man’s Orchard LNR, hidden in the
long grass on the boundary between the parishes of Chartham and Harbledown,
is dying. The sculpture, erected nearly ten years ago out of a variety of
different types of wood, is now beginning to rot away. Due to issues
raised by the artists who created the piece and safety worries, the
serpent is therefore to be de-commissioned. The news is not all bad,
however! The management committee are currently looking into options to
create a new piece in 2005 along the same lines, and unless severe
degradation of the serpent occurs, it will not be removed until the new
piece is complete.
Batty project
The Local Heritage Initiative (LHI) funded project ‘Bats
and the Crab and Winkle Line’ is drawing to a close. The project aimed
to highlight the historical and wildlife value of the old railway line
that ran between Canterbury and Whitstable. As the first passenger railway
line in the world, it has significant historical importance. The main
focus of study for its wildlife value has been in the tunnel under the
University of Kent, where the rare Natterer’s Bat has been found to
hibernate. Through funding provided by the project, the Kent Bat Group
have been able to purchase new equipment to go into the tunnel as part of
an ongoing monitoring scheme. Look out for the new interpretation panel
next to the bridleway below the Archbishops School and the exciting
sculpture in the school grounds!
What small mammals live in your area?
The KSCP are currently carrying out a small mammal
survey across the Project area. The survey will not only help us to work
out how best to manage sites, and feed into our database of species, but
also help the Kent Mammal Group establish a map of each mammal’s
distribution across the whole of Kent. So why not come and join us? We are
holding a free public survey day on Saturday 22nd January at
Kingston Old Railway Line, meet at 9.00am at the Barn, Kingston. Suitable
for all ages although children must be accompanied by an adult. If weather
is unfavourable, the event will be called off due to the welfare of the
mammals. Please phone to confirm and avoid disappointment.
