Traditional Hedge Laying in Norfolk by Cath Harris Norfolk countryside will soon echo to the soft, benign thud of steel against wood. Thin stems of young trees will rip but not break as a heavy knife sends splinters groundwards leaving jagged peaks of hewn bark. Each sapling will be teased sideways, staked and bound, and all will point in the same direction. With time, more new hedgerows will flourish, each a wildlife sanctuary and an uplifting addition to the county’s landscape. “ They will look marvellous,” them. A lot of hedges have says farmer David Harrison, been taken out here but by who has learnt how to use a keeping them and laying them billhook, a traditional hooked properly I’m creating a bottom wooden-handled blade, to cut to them and making a run for juvenile tree stems in the first wildlife.” stage of hedgelaying. “I already have hedges that are Penny Spot Farm is David’s 27- three, two and one year old acre home near Elsing in and I’m very pleased with all of central Norfolk. It is part of Trimming stakes the Wensum Valley Special Area of Conservation, a site protected by EU law. The farm has hay and wildflower meadows and rare white park cattle grazing the Wensum’s flood plain. Several hundred meters of hedgerow have been laid at the farm, some cut with a chainsaw where trees were more mature. The billhook was given to David by hedgelayer Donato Cinicolo. “I still need Donato for the power saw bit but I’m able to cut the slimmer stems with the billhook,” David says. “The fields all had hedges before Donato came but they had never been laid. I was very pleased that we had enough Chainsaw 92 | July 2011 Volunteers at work Hedgelaying in Norfolk Weaving in binder Volunteer using billhook Sharpening the billhook July 2011 | 93 hawthorn for the binders so are among those sending staff Nothing happens quickly. You eight metres of hedge in a day didn’t need to use any to learn the craft. Donato plies have to wait a season, or four but usually it’s 20 to 25 commercial products. If I had his trade all over the Home seasons, or even years for metres.” Last season, Donato sheep now they wouldn’t be Counties with country estate hedges to thicken and completed 700 meters. able to get through.” owners and local authorities mature.” among clients. He also teaches Donato takes great pride in his To lay a hedge, the stems of groups managing nature Donato is a five time work and looks forward to his saplings and young bushes are reserves and volunteers tending Hertfordshire hedgelaying trips to Norfolk. “You are only partly severed and bent, usually land around buildings they use. champion and learnt to lay as good as your last job and if in the same direction. The Usually his work is welcomed hedges at a college in his you produce poor work it stems - or pleachers - continue but sometimes it sparks home county more than 20 follows you. I always like the to grow, sprouting up to ten protest. In one instance, the years ago. His family moved fact that my work is shoots from the cut which police were called by residents from southern Italy after anonymous and when I look at eventually form a thick bushy suspecting hedgerow World War II, a time of huge old hedges I think that hedge. The pleachers are held vandalism. Another time, a change for Britain’s someone like me was doing by horizontal stakes, and dog-walker was reduced to countryside. “We needed what I do. Once you’ve made binders woven along the top. tears. “I was teaching a group bigger fields to produce more a hedge you never look at Blocking livestock in or out, how to lay a hedge and the food and many hedges were them in the same way again. reducing soil erosion and woman asked what we were removed. Also, hedges It’s a life-transforming bolstering river banks are doing, claiming we were became neglected because so experience.” The among the roles hedges destroying wildlife,” Donato few men came back after the transformation of hedgerows perform. recalls. “She was in tears and war and there wasn’t the at Penny Spot Farm has left there was nothing we could do manpower to look after David Harrison a happy man. Alongside his work at Penny to appease her. I asked her to them.” Some of the hedges “They just look good and the Spot Farm, Donato teaches come back in the summer to Donato tackles are 50 or 60 laying keeps them under hedgelaying on day courses at see the re-growth because I years old. “You have to use a control which is much better Easton College near Norwich. knew the hedge would be two chainsaw and wear heavy, than leaving them to grow and The National Trust, RSPB, local or three times thicker. With protective clothing. Sometimes much, much better than a water companies and farmers nature you have to be patient. you can only manage about fence.” Teaching volunteers 94 | July 2011.