Researching and Restoring the Danesbury Victorian Fernery
The volunteers use the WhatsApp Fernery Gardening Group page to arrange ad hoc meetings that are needed to keep on top of the many tasks needed to keep Presentation standards high.
At this time of the year it is necessary to protect the more delicate plants in preparation of the advancing frosts.
On Monday 11th October 2019 Harry Ward fitted patent Hilary Ward frost proofing bags which will do very nicely thank you.
On a beautiful sunny day we had two very busy groups of volunteers out working.
This was the first visit by the volunteers to this site in the South East corner of the Fernery Field, by the Old London Road entrance behind Clock House Gardens. The Council’s contractors undertook a preparatory and very basic clearance of scrub earlier in the year, but this area has not been managed since the Borough Council acquired the Danesbury Nature Reserve in 1998.
Chris James from the Borough Council was present to introduce the volunteers to the site, which she named The Clock Meadow.
This was the start of what will be many visits. Along the way it will be decided to what degree we might be able to encourage the rich diversity of wildlife already in evidence.
A small band of volunteers led by Andrew Beattie started the task of selective clearance of scrub and elder, and lopping branches from trees in need of management.
A Public Footpath crosses this site, leading to the cattle fence and kissing gate entrance to the Fernery Field proper. It is a very well used path, and a section of regular walkers, and local dog walkers will for the first time enjoy new vistas as they open up.
Work continued led by Harry Ward, planting plants and shrubs in the Parsons Bed and above the grotto before the Autumn sets in.
Given the constraints of the weather, and the number of volunteers on site, we are planning to operate two Work Parties on the 21st November:
Light rain showers and a moderate breeze
Park Field – Ghylls Hill – The Ancient Track – Habitat Improvement
With next month’s December meeting in mind when, for practical reasons, we will want both working parties working closer together to more easily join up for Seasonal celebrations, we have decided to return this month to the Ancient Track to continue the maintenance work of earlier work parties. The work area is reasonably sheltered and whatever the weather we look forward to a good turnout of non-gardening scrub-bashing volunteers.
A lot of scrub is re-growing at the bottom (Codicote Road) end of the Track and at the kissing gate access, which will be cleared once again with the strimmer.
We will also use loppers to clear scrub and bramble trailers along the banks, and rakes to reveal more of the established ferns and hopefully the bluebells that have been smothered (although not visible at present). We will also prepare the ground for the expected arrival of primrose plugs in the New Year.
Volunteers for the Local Nature Reserve Working Party should collect bow saws, loppers and springy wire rakes from the Fernery shed, and the spare First Aid Kit, before moving down to Ghylls Hill.
Clock Meadow – December and successive months.
This is the name we are giving to the newly managed area at the South East entrance to the Fernery Field by the Old London Road and Clock House Gardens.
We will re-visit the Clock Meadow in December 2019, because it is in line of sight of the Fernery (almost). In December the Clock Meadow volunteers will more easily be able to join up with the Fernery Gardeners for Seasonal Celebrations.
Having started and made such good progress with this area behind Clock House Gardens Chris James is keen for us to undertake more pruning, and removal of elders and some cherry suckers in December and beyond.
In the New Year we will begin wider publicity for this exciting new area of Danesbury which offers so much opportunity for habitat improvement, It is an area on the Nature Reserve which hasn’t previously felt the impact of the volunteer Friends of Danesbury. It will be seen by a different set of visitors to Danesbury Park as they follow the Public Footpath from the old Service Road behind the former Clock Hotel.
All volunteers should meet at the Fernery at 9.30 am where the leaders will allocate tasks and distribute tools as appropriate for the two working parties. Volunteers are asked to decide before arriving which of the two working parties they would like to join, as this helps the organisation.
If you have not visited us before you will be made very welcome. Please read the directions to find us.
Bring a hot drink and refreshments with you, and wear strong boots or shoes and good quality gardening gloves. All tools will be provided.
On your first visit the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (the Owners) require that you complete a personal details Form which will be retained by them for Public Liability Insurance purposes.
A small group of regulars worked hard before the rain came, with more ‘last minute’ planting before Autumn sets in.
The group was joined by Chris Evans who was making a welcome visit once again, all the way from North Wales!
We will operate two Working parties:
Sunny Intervals and a moderate breeze.
Andrew Beattie will lead this group which will start working in the new area identified by Chris James at the South East corner of the Fernery Field, and described last month.
The area of land between the start of the Public Footpath behind Clock House Gardens and the Fernery Field cattle fence, is owned by the Borough Council and for many years has been undeveloped scrub and grassland.
Earlier this year Maydencroft stripped the area of long standing brambles and scrub in readiness for management of the area and bringing it under control.
It is expected that volunteers will start planning and shaping the area to encourage wildlife, and better use and enjoyment of the space.
The Fernery Team led by Harry Ward has been busy over recent weeks in ad hoc groups working on pressing tasks. Details of some of these tasks are included in the Report of the 19th September Working Party; they include opening the Parsons zigzag planting bed, and positioning and planting the recently installed Oak logs on the East Bank.
Tasks for Thursday 17th October are expected to include the following:
All volunteers should meet at the Fernery at 9.30 am where the leaders will allocate tasks and distribute tools as appropriate for the two working parties. Volunteers are asked to decide before arriving which of the two working parties they would like to join, as this helps the organisation.
If you have not visited us before you will be made very welcome. Please read the directions to find us.
Bring a hot drink and refreshments with you, and wear strong boots or shoes and good quality gardening gloves. All tools will be provided.
On your first visit the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (the Owners) require that you complete a personal details Form which will be retained by them for Public Liability Insurance purposes.
Two work parties met up at the Fernery to receive instructions from the leaders and to collect tools.
Andrew Beattie led a small team which continued previous months’ work in the Ancient Track on the Park Field. Much of the work was to clear scrub on the banks, exposing the natural ferns, bluebells and primroses which were becoming smothered.
It is hoped that now that the Autumn and Winter months are facing us, work for the volunteers in the Fernery Garden will ease off. With more volunteers working in the Local Nature Reserve we will be able to build an interesting habitat management programme.
We do need more volunteers to work on the Nature Reserve, particularly between now and March/April 2020 when birds start their nesting.
Harry Ward led a team which faced multiple tasks. Maydencroft were on site undertaking the final excavation programme for 2019.
Rabbit Proofing
Harry and Alan completed the task of fixing wire all around the extended wild flower beds on the North Bank in order to keep rabbits out.
Excavation
The Maydencroft team had three primary tasks to carry out over two days:
Digging out Anthony Parsons’ zigzag bed
This bed was cleared and we could see the Cement base with drainage holes, in perfect order, just as Anthony Parsons first built it 160 years ago.
To our amazement, the zigzag planting bed precisely matches the description of its construction in Robinson’s Book of 1870. Solid Portland Cement bases presumed to be covering layers of brick and tiles, and with 3″ drain pipes. The side pipes and their bases are about 4″ higher than the main base and drains, so clearly designed to drain to the bottom. But it is not at all clear where the lowest pipe would have drained to, because it is currently below ground level.
Colin took samples of the soils from these beds so that he can start tests for ancient fern spores. The beds were then re-filled with soils over a membrane designed to retain water and encourage wet-loving ferns. But 21 days later on 10th October 2019 it was decided that the smaller ‘arrow bed’ should be left exposed as having architectural and historical interest for visitors.
Therefore, after heavy rains, Harry once again dug out the, by now, saturated and heavy soils (the membrane clearly beginning to work), before fixing temporary safety ribbons.
We look forward to a Report in due course from Colin on his fern spore discoveries, and a Progress Report as he tries to cultivate the ferns which were originally planted in these beds.
Oak Log Planters
We are fortunate to have been offered logs from the ancient Oak recently felled from Hunters Bridge near Waitrose in Welwyn Garden City.
Subsequently Colin and Harry manoeuvred the stumps into their final positions in the shade on the East Bank and, after lining the two hollow logs, they filled them with soil mixed with leaf mould, ready for planting with ferns. The third log will be drilled out ready for planting later.
Excavating the South Bank
Unfortunately time ran out before the work was completed.
The brick edged path that led in a curve into the slope did not, as we had expected, run up the slope and end in steps, but mysteriously turned right towards the base of the dropping well, implying a circular platform in front of the grotto. But this needs further testing – and tons of soil would need to be removed.
A wall runs in a large curve left to right half way up the slope, and it became apparent that this wall would have joined the wall in the May Bed, just about where we have introduced one of the new wooden steps.
And just above that wall is another retaining wall which initially looked to be protecting a path running above the planting bed – but this ‘path’ suddenly narrowed and fizzled out into an irregularly shaped ‘bed’. Many large roots were removed during this process and it is likely that whatever path or bed is underneath, the soil will have been dislodged over the years by the Lime Tree.
This excavation has left us with more questions that when we started, and more study of the South Bank is now needed.
We will again be operating two work parties this Thursday.
Because Maydencroft are scheduled to be on site in the Fernery to undertake final heavy equipment work for 2019, we must limit the number of volunteers working in the Fernery this Thursday, for health and safety reasons.
We therefore encourage Gardening volunteers to work on the Local Nature Reserve with Andrew Beattie’s work party.
Sunny with light winds.
As stated many times before, scrub-bashing work on the Nature Reserve is less likely to disturb wildlife, in particular nesting birds, from September round to March/April each year,
From now until Spring 2020 we therefore encourage volunteers to join Andrew’s scrub-bashing Work Party.
Regular tasks can be expected to include path clearance of overhanging brambles, nettles and tree shoots and runners.
Work on special projects will be agreed in advance between Andrew and Chris James and are likely to include continuation of ancient track clearance down to the Codicote Road, hedge layering, and the clearance and burning of brash left laying around from earlier work parties. Some basic tree pruning might also be on the agenda.
An interesting new Project proposed by Chris James is to develop an area on the South East corner of the Fernery Field into a wildlife study area. The area (outside the cattle fence) owned by the WHBC behind the rear of houses in St John’s Close and the Clockhouse Gardens development and Old Roman Road was cleared by Maydencroft during the year
These are all good seasonal fun tasks for colder Autumn and Winter days as the work of the Fernery Gardening Group falls off.
Because Maydencroft are on site, we need only a limited number of volunteers to be in the Fernery. Apart from undertaking light tasks, these volunteers will in part supervise Maydencroft’s work in the absence of hands-on WHBC management.
Maydencroft will be:
Scheduled tasks for the few volunteers will include:
More demanding seasonal work such as leaf collection, strimming, grass cutting and general tidying will wait for the October Work Party.
All volunteers should meet at the Fernery at 9.30 am where the leaders will allocate tasks and distribute tools as appropriate for the two working parties. Volunteers are asked to decide before arriving which of the two working parties they would like to join, as this helps the organisation.
If you have not visited us before you will be made very welcome. Please read the directions to find us.
Bring a hot drink and refreshments with you, and wear strong boots or shoes and good quality gardening gloves. All tools will be provided.
On your first visit the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (the Owners) require that you complete a personal details Form which will be retained by them for Public Liability Insurance purposes.
On Tuesday 10th September Harry and John joined other volunteer representatives, including the Sherrardspark Wood Wardens, at the Awards Ceremony at St Ives Cambridgeshire. The team from the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council included the Leader of the Council, the Chief Executive, and Ann MacDonald among others.
Friends of Danesbury Fernery
Mindful that last year we won the Special Award for Conservation Projects, this year our entry had been short-listed by the visiting judges for a Special Award in the Community Project section.
We did not win, but we were presented with a splendid Certificate, which we will hope to show you on 3rd October 2019 at our AGM, after corrections to the typescript have been made by the Organisers.
In conversation with the judges at the end of the Ceremony, we gained the clear impression that had we been categorised in the Conservation then we would have won once again.
The Sherrardspark Wood Wardens
We heartily congratulate our SPWW colleagues who won the Gold Award in the Woodlands Category against stiff opposition from Linslade.
Other Welwyn Hatfield Awards were gained for The Longcroft Lane Allotments in the Grow Your Own Category, and the Borough Council won two Category Awards for a) Environmental Quality, and b) the Local authority Public Open Space Floral Display for Parkway.
On Wednesday 4th September 2019 we were privileged to receive a visit from Mrs Sarah Beazley, High Sheriff.
Mrs Beazley was accompanied by the Mayor of Welwyn Hatfield, Cllr. Roger Trigg, Leader of the Council Cllr Tony Kingsbury, the Chief Executive Rob Bridge, and Ann MacDonald and Chris James of the Landscape & Ecology Department..
The Chairman of the Friends of Danesbury Fernery, John Roper, showed the High Sheriff around the site and gave her a pocket history of the Fernery’s construction by the Pulhams and Head Gardener Anthony Parsons, and a brief description all the work carried out by the FODF volunteers since the Project first started in September 2015.
Mrs Beazley met the group of volunteers who were on site and particularly liked the decorated Grotesque entrance, and was keen to understand how the Victorians might have brought water to the site.
Harry explained how the dropping well originally worked, and how we are currently replicating the process for demonstration purposes. The High Sheriff loved the Herbaceous beds and learned about their discovery and construction and was keen to learn how they were funded. Jenny Hawkins with Alan Taylor in support presented the wild flowers on the North Bank and the ferns were presented by Colin Adlam.
The Fernery was looking in splendid condition. Special thanks go to all the volunteers who have been watering, weeding and preparing the site over previous weeks and days in advance of the visit.
Mrs Beazley enjoyed her visit, and on departing she generously congratulated all the volunteer members of the FODF for our work in recovering this beautiful piece of Welwyn’s heritage.
The 2019 AGM will be held at the 1st Welwyn Scout Hut in Lockleys Drive at 12.30 pm on Thursday 3rd October 2019.
All active Friends of Danesbury Local Nature Reserve and the Fernery will be welcome, but in regard to the formal business of the Friends of Danesbury Fernery, (FODF) then in accordance with Section 2.4. of the FODF Constitution, qualification to vote will be determined by evidence that a member is Registered with the WHBC as a Volunteer who has attended at least one official working party within the calendar year.
It is proposed to socialise and enjoy a buffet lunch at the start, which will be followed by the formal part of the meeting. Hilary Ward has kindly offered to organise the catering as she did so successfully in September 2018 at our last meeting. For catering purposes please let Harry or John know if you plan to come to the meeting, and also advise Hilary if you have special catering needs.
Over lunch we will be able to discuss all things of interest or concern about the Local Nature Reserve and future projects, followed by the formal AGM of the Friends of Danesbury Fernery (FODF). Please let Secretary Harry Ward know if you have any issues or concerns that you wish to be included on the Agenda in Any Other Business.
The FODF Agenda and copies of the Chairman’s, and the Treasurer’s Reports will be published before the date of the meeting, together with other relevant papers.