Recent Ashridge Plant Fair

Posted on June 6, 2016 by ashridgevolunteersblog

All the plants not sold at the recent plant fair have been returned to my garden. I have well over 500 plants looking for a home. All the volunteers are welcome to come and look at them and give them a good home in their garden but really I am seeking venues for their sale and I am inviting your ideas. Any other fairs, fetes etc. which maybe will have a plant stall. All are of excellent quality, well rooted and of a fair size suitable to start a new garden or replace old specimens. Your ideas please would be welcome. Volunteers can contact me on 01442 842 252 to arrange plant viewing

Posted on behalf of Posh Janet

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Thursday Group 2nd June

Posted on June 5, 2016 by ashridgevolunteersblog

Although I didn’t make it (Rowan) I understand that there was more fence removal at the Frithsden  Copse, some helped Emily to put up owl boxes and the rest of the volunteers tidied up round the monument where it was very muddy.

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Off-road motorbikes

Posted on June 5, 2016 by ashridgevolunteersblog

Off-road motorbikes have been seen in the Ashridge area recently and Lawrence Trowbridge has been informed.

If you see any incidents, take details and  report it to the Estate Office .

 

Posted in Sunday Group, Thursday Conservation Group, Volunteer Rangers | 3 Comments

Pitstone Windmill

Posted on June 4, 2016 by ashridgevolunteersblog

The corn mill is to be opened to the public on Sundays throughout the Summer, and on Bank Holiday Monday, from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Entrance is free to volunteer card holders.

The “Ivinghoe” windmill which is actually in the parish of Pitstone, dates from windat least 1627 when a carpenter’s mark was cut into the timber structure. It is the earliest surviving mill of its type in England. A post mill which enables it to be turned into the direction of the prevailing wind. The painting by De Wint dates from the early 1800’s and pre-dates the rebuilding of 1895. The mill then operated for a further seven years before it was severely damaged by a storm in 1902, and it has remained idle ever since. A local Pitstone landowner offered it to the National Trust in 1937 in a parlous state, and it was not until the formation of the Pitstone Windmill Restoration Committee in 1963 that sufficient funds and manpower were arranged for a full restoration to take place. The remarkable piece of engineering was returned to it’s former glory in 1967. An information leaflet is available at the Ashridge Visitor Centre, together with a new publication on the history of the mill – a book by Roger and Caroline Hillier called Pitstone Windmill ( The Rescue of an Ancient Landmark), priced at £8.

Posted in Events, Windmill | 1 Comment

Thursday Volunteer work 26th May

Posted on June 3, 2016 by ashridgevolunteersblog

Hello All,

Just to let you know that we were split into 2 groups. The first group have started to plant wild flowers by the fenced off pond area by the VC. It is to turn it into a ‘wild graden’.

The remaining 5 of us carried on work at Fristhden Copse removing the old fencing and barbed wire. It was tricky at times as the fence being so old had collapsed and had partly rotted under the vegetation being mainly stinging nettles.

 

 

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Ashridge Flora

Posted on June 2, 2016 by ashridgevolunteersblog

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The extensive acreage and varying habitat at Ashridge support a wide variety of native spring flowers to delight the field naturalist – apart from the ubiquitous bluebell.

Rarities include the wild daffodil to be found at Webb’s Copse at Frithsden. A recent find in the area is a large clump of Monkshood, but this comes with a severe health warning being highly toxic. It may be a garden reject.

The wood at Aldbury Nowers on the other side of the Estate supports the rare white helleborine, along with a clump of Solomon’s Seal which may have been planted by an enthusiast.

The chalk downland is home to the declining Pasque flower, which appeared for the first time this year on Piccadilly Hill, since being planted out last year.

Written by  a Volunteer Ranger

Posted in Flora and Fauna, Volunteer Rangers | 6 Comments

The Ashridge Dovecote

Posted on June 2, 2016 by ashridgevolunteersblog

The Ashridge dovecote on Stocks Road in Aldbury, will be open to the public on Sunday 10th July and 14th August from 2.00pm to 5.30pm. Entrance is free and no booking is required. It was originally part of the Stocks … Continue reading →

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UNUSUAL EVENTS

Posted on May 25, 2016 by johntrimmerbtconnectcom

pointYou don’t often find graffiti at Ashridge – sometimes on the tree trunks and maybe at the windmill – but certainly not at the top of Beacon hill!

The “trig” point was recently defaced and looked very unloved – just a concrete post looking like a blot on the landscape. O K it has only been there since around 1936 but people still need to show respect.

So a volunteer was encouraged to climb the hill with two buckets of water and a brush, to do the necessary. When he arrived he found that the graffiti had mysteriously disappeared.

The Trust deny any involvement in the cleaning, so perhaps there is a guardian angel looking after this ancient iron age monument.

Posted in Litter Picking, Volunteer Rangers | 2 Comments

Clearing out the dovecote at Aldbury

Posted on May 18, 2016 by ashridgevolunteersblog

Thursday 19th May some of the Thursday conservation group will be clearing out the dovecote.  A couple of pictures attached prior to any work being carried out.

Built for the Duncombe family in Aldbury in 1753, as owners of Stocks manor since 1503.Ownership passed to the N T with a bequest in the 1980’s. The front elevation is designed to impress. The original flemish bond brickwork is decorated with glazed black headers and with black diaper work. A vernacular building of it’s day, housing some five hundred doves, for culinary use in the Manor house.

The dovecote will be open on Sunday 10th July 14.00 – 17.30

http://www.mccannhistoricbuildings.co.uk/truthaboutdovecotes/#top

Posted in Thursday Conservation Group | 3 Comments

Basecamp Work

Posted on May 14, 2016 by ashridgevolunteersblog

As you may or may not know, volunteer working holidays are held at Ashridge several times a year and the Basecamp accommodation is coming up for it’s (not quite annual) spring clean where Pete the ranger will be organising the basecamp deep clean and sand/re-varnish the tables and benches etc. and this will be on Saturday 9th July.

Further details will be provided nearer the date but if you can spare a few hours in the morning then this will be a great help + there’ll be plenty of teas, coffee and biscuits to keep us going so please pencil this date in to your calendars….

Please reply to this or to Peter From the Sunday Group – pandcthomas750@hotmail.co.uk
Or please use the form below if you are interested

That’s it for now. Will post with more news soon.

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