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News and events for autumn 2019 Herefordshire | Shropshire | Staff ordshire Warwickshire | West Midlands | Worcestershire ©National Trust Images/Bill Alloway Alloway Images/Bill Trust ©National It’s crunch Levenson Images/David Trust ©National time! As the summer sun fades and the morning mists begin you know autumn is on its way. It’s the season of colour, In Herefordshire, chat to the Senior cosiness, fungi and harvest and it’s a great time to be Gardener at Berrington Hall and learn outside. You can experience the changing seasons at all about dahlias at their Dahlia Delights our places across the West Midlands. events (every Monday in September). After the busy summer At Brockhampton, its harvest time and months, September you can make it a family aff air as you and early October are pick apples and damsons. The estate great months to visit at is home to one of the oldest varieties Autumn is impressive at Attingham Park a quieter time, particularly in the of damson and heritage apple trees. in Shropshire, as are the deer in the Deer week. And why not try your hand at During October it’s half term and activities Park on the estate. The herd feeds on volunteering? Lots of places need have a spooky theme. At Wightwick Manor acorns and conkers and you can see the help in the autumn, collecting fallen and Gardens in the West Midlands there bucks rearing on their hind legs to knock leaves or gathering the harvest. Follow us... is a Halloween pumpkin trail and house the branches with their antlers for more trail (26 Oct to 3 Nov). Croft Castle and food as they fi ll up before the rut. or your local National Trust Parkland in Herefordshire will host the Hanbury Hall in Worcestershire has lots Whether you’re visiting or place on social media. School of Sorcery (selected dates during of activity in the gardens in autumn as Share your days out with us half term) where you can take part in volunteering, your support the citrus plants are put in the orangery broomstick training, wand making, pumpkin and get the latest updates for winter, hardy plants in the formal helps us care for special carving and spooky tours, if you dare. In on autumn events fruit garden are wrapped up ready for the places in the Midlands. Warwickshire, Baddesley Clinton, Coughton and activities colder nights and bulbs are planted in Court and Packwood all have fi endish fun Thank you. the parterre for spectacular colour in the and frights with their Halloween trails spring. At Croome, also in Worcestershire (check What’s on and website for details). #NTMidlands see if you can spot the majestic birds of prey in the skies above the parkland and why not visit the bird hide to watch the birds including nuthatches, blue tits and great tits as they feed? For details of all there is to see and do, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/midlands or take a look at the ‘What’s on’ section © National Trust/John Miller Trust/John © National From the Director for the Midlands ReimaginingReimagining Orchards atOrchards Brockhampton at Brockhampton utumn at the Brockhampton A mixture of traditional Herefordshire The second orchard on a neighbouring Estate in Herefordshire is always apple trees will be planted alongside unusual tenant’s farmland will be planted as part of an important time of year – it’s and rare varieties, specially chosen to tell the their ambition to diversify and to create time to harvest damsons and story of the eating apple. Artist Walter Jack more nature friendly habitats. A large A explains, ‘These circular orchards tell the number of traditional varieties of damson apples that are still at the heart of agricultural life in the county. story of the fruit at Brockhampton and trees will be planted along with new n the northeast of the USA, the This year, autumn is extra special where it began a few miles and a few meadow grass which will include native turning of the leaves in autumn is an as work gets underway to create the fi rst thousand miles away. This is about the wildfl owers to encourage a diversity of event that causes people to get out of three orchards designed by artist geographical connections that are the pollinators such as bees and butterfl ies. and marvel at the autumn colours Walter Jack and landscape architects extraordinary story of fruit.’ Lead Ranger, Nick Hinchcliff e says, I The paths and orchard rooms in two ‘Together with the lowland wildfl ower and attracts tourists from across the Rathbone Partnership. country. Our last few autumns have seen With funds from the Postcode of the three fi elds will be developed and meadows that will surround the trees, these leaf colours which almost rival that of Earth Trust, raised by players of the planted this year, with the remainder orchards will improve the quality of the land our American cousins and so I encourage People’s Postcode lottery, as well as planted in 2020. This work will be done and create habitats that encourage you to take a leaf out of their book, support from Arts Council England as with the help of community groups and biodiversity. We’re excited to be if you will excuse the phrase. part of Trust New Art, the National supported by ignite cic, a Herefordshire sharing this experience with visitors and In the Midlands we are fortunate to Trust’s programme of contemporary based not-for-profi t community interest our local community, working together also have some of the oldest trees in the arts, lost Victorian orchards will be company, focusing on bringing communities to create the orchards, care for them UK, which you can read more about in brought back to life. together and empowering people to be and enjoy their produce.’ this issue. Some of the trees at Croft creative and healthy. Castle were already old when the Rathbone Partnership Rathbone Jack Studio/ © Walter adjoining landscape of the Fishpool Partnership Rathbone Jack Studio/ © Walter To learn more about the project and discover Valley was being designed and you can opportunities for you to get involved, visit read more in this issue about how we are restoring it. We are also playing a part in providing some trees for our © Trust New Art www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brockhampton-orchards descendants to enjoy, such as at Brockhampton, where we are creating a new area of orchard as part of our long term vision for the estate. Edge Kinver Trust © National Whatever your plans, I wish you a fruitful and colour fi lled autumn. Restoring heathland for wildlife at Kinver Edge © National Trust/ John Millar Trust/ © National At Kinver Edge in Staff ordshire there is a pocket of wilderness that buzzes with life; bees and butterfl ies hum by day, lizards bask in the sun and bats swoop through the air at night hunting moths while woodcock forage on the ground. Sadly, there are only a few small pockets of the land with traditional longhorn cattle. this heathland habitat left in the Midlands; a This will allow the heathers, gorse, birch and fraction of what once spread across the oak trees to naturally regenerate, which in landscape. Iconic species including adders, turn will reinstate the heathland. This work tree pipits and cuckoos that depend on will not only support the wildlife that Brockhampton Orchards these spaces face challenging times – they currently inhabits the Common, it will also need space to thrive. After recently being encourage the return of iconic species such gifted neighbouring land at Blakeshall as nightjar and woodlark. Common, there is an ambitious proposal to With the support of fellow restore much more of this exceptional organisations, the RSPB and the Wildlife wildlife habitat at Kinver Edge. Trust, this important restoration plan will The land is currently managed as a give people the opportunity to connect with Andy Beer non-native conifer plantation which isn’t nature in a healthy, wildlife-rich landscape ideal for indigenous wildlife so the plan is to full of birdsong, buzzing bees and reptiles fell 48 acres of these crop trees and graze darting across the sand. Visit Kinver Edge to explore this heathland landscape for yourself, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kinver-edge Book a unique break and fi nd out more about this exciting nature restoration plan at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/blakeshall-vision Looking for some ideas for a holiday this autumn and winter? There are holiday © National Trust Images/Steve Atkins Images/Steve © Trust National cottages across the Midlands set in amazing locations including places of natural beauty To fi nd out at bit more A day in the life of… and within the grounds of historic houses. about The Fleece Inn, visit Nigel Smith, Landlord of wwwthefl eeceinn.co.uk Stay in a unique property with history The Fleece Inn, Bretforton, Worcestershire and stories to tell and start your visit from the front door. I have been landlord of The Fleece Inn in as a modern pub. The low doorways have annual asparagus festival and Morris Worcestershire for over 17 years. As soon as I been bumped by many heads but it all adds dancing which draws locals and visitors from visited in 2002 to view the pub, I knew it to the pub’s charm and uniqueness. further afi eld alike. Keeping this experience was for me. The building is a medieval After 17 years I am still wowed by the look alive is really important to me and my team. half-timbered longhouse which originally on people’s faces as they enter and I was really surprised to learn that the sheltered a farmer and his stock; it was fi rst experience The Fleece.