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Bourne
Wood
There has probably been continuous tree cover on this site for the last 8,000 years and the present trees are a mixture of broadleaf and conifer of all ages and their diversity has created ideal conditions for a wide range of wildlife. Bourne Wood covers some 400 acres and is now managed for conservation as well as recreation and timber production.
The Forestry Commission bought most of the woods from the Exeter Estate in 1926 but until then, they were owned by the Earl of Exeter, the Lord of the Manor, and the timber brought in an income of 20 shillings per acre per annum, most of it being used for fencing enclosures. In the preceding years, the woods had been heavily felled, most probably to provide props for the trenches during the First World War, and when the commission took over there was an urgent need for extensive re-planting as part of their policy of producing softwoods because the return on them was much quicker.
This policy has since been reviewed and the loss of broad-leaved trees is
being remedied under a new programme of re-establishing the old forest.
See The
Ancient Woodland Project.
Many woodland plants have survived and so make the woodland valuable in terms of wildlife conservation. The wild flowers than can be seen here in season include bluebells, primroses, wood anemone and nettle leaved bell flower while fallow deer are abundant and you may catch a glimpse of their smaller, shy cousin, the muntjac or barking deer. Other animals that can be seen in these glades are foxes, grey squirrels, owls, snakes, badgers and dormice and a wide variety of birds. Nightingales can be heard on summer nights and rare bats and dragonflies fly over the ponds at twilight. Six
species of bat have also been identified including the rare Leisler's bat which
was first discovered in nesting boxes in 1991 and is now being closely monitored
by the Forestry Commission in conjunction with English Nature.
One of the delights of walking in the woods is to explore the many tracks that lead off the main paths for there is always something new to discover. The
ancient forest that can be found here consists of mixed plantings of both deciduous and coniferous trees and each have their own beauty. The Corsican pines that can be seen here were once native to that Mediterranean island of high granite peaks and fertile plains but have been grown in Britain since 1814 and are now reared at nurseries in this country before being planted out and these will be thinned once every five years before a final crop of around 100 trees are felled perhaps 20 years from now. In the meantime, these magnificent trees that can attain heights of 150 feet, are here for us to enjoy throughout the
year for as every schoolboy knows, they will remain evergreen because conifers do not shed their leaves in winter.
Deep in the woods are two lakes which were made by damming a small dip in the landscape in 1972 and these have become watering holes for woodland inhabitants and home to ducks, herons, many aquatic animals and several species of fish. The pool is a mass of rushes and sedge, white water lilies float on the surface and yellow flag grows in the margins of the lakes while fallow deer come to drink here in the evenings and early mornings and their hoof prints can often be seen in the soft mud at the water's edge. This is a marvellous sight if you are prepared to sit here until dusk or to get up at 4 a m on a summer's morning for a rendezvous with these graceful creatures.
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One
of the two lakes, deep in the woods |
The
woods in autumn, a magical time |
An endearing feature introduced in Bourne Wood by the Forestry Commission in recent years is the placing of memorial seats at suitable locations alongside the footpaths to enable older walkers sit and take a rest. These rustic seats have been made by staff on site from timber grown in the woods and financed by relatives of loved ones now dead who enjoyed walking here while small metal plaques record their dedication.
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Rustic
seats have been a feature of the woods in recent years, placed alongside the main paths
to provide a place to rest for those with aching legs and to
remind us of others who walked here in the past. The memorial
brass plate on this seat (left) is to the memory of Ted Armstrong and his
dog Snoopy who were frequent visitors before he died in 1990.
These seats were however prone to vandalism, despite the poignancy
of their dedications, and in 2002, the Forestry Commission
replaced them with sturdier constructions (right) but only time
will tell if they can withstand the assaults of those who only
wish to destroy what other people regard as sacrosanct. |
One poignant inscription reminds us of the deep affection felt by those who have enjoyed this amenity just a short distance from the town centre and which attracts more than 100,000 visitors a year and it can be found on a seat by the main footpath: "In loving memory of Ted Armstrong 1916-1990 who walked daily in these woods he loved with his dog Snoopy." We always sit on this seat for a few moments when walking these paths because we remember this man and his dog and to see him stepping out on an autumn day was to share with him the deep affection that he had for this place and long may these woods survive to give similar pleasure to those who come here.
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Twenty small oak
trees were planted here in January 1999 by the Friends of Bourne
Wood organisation as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, who
died tragically in 1997, and the spot was named Diana's Glade. |
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THE WOODLAND TRAILS |
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New woodland trails were introduced in the
autumn of 2003 with the intention of directing visitors to the most
attractive areas of the forest. Their names are self-explanatory but
the most appealing is the Nightingale Trail, dedicated to one of
Britain's rarest and most beautiful songbirds that can be found
here.
The trail runs for a distance of 2½
miles and can be followed by the orange-lettered markers. Forester
John Wilcockson is particularly enthusiastic. "No one who has ever
listened to the nightingale can forget its magical melodies", he
said. "The trail has been planned to take visitors right into those
parts of the woodland where the birds are most likely to be heard
singing although the bird is elusive and sightings are less likely."
The number of nightingales in Bourne Wood declined during the latter
half of the 20th century but the Forestry Commission has set up a
special management programme to create more suitable habitats.
During the summer the following year, new signposts were erected at
various vantage points throughout the wood to help the growing
number of visitors find their way along the main paths and, more
particularly, the way back to the car park. |
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UNREST AMONG THE BARK PEELERS
A little known industry in past times was bark
peeling which was carried out in Bourne Wood and employed a large
number of men. Bark is the protective covering of dried up tissues
that can be found on the outside of tree trunks.
The uses of bark are many and various and in past times it was a
raw material for making canoes, shields, baskets and clothing. But
the most valuable discovery was that it is also rich in tannins,
particularly that of the oak tree, and is still in use for tanning
hides to make leather, another industry which thrived in Bourne
during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Working hours in those days were long and conditions arduous but
men needing a regular wage to feed a wife and family had to put up
with whatever conditions their employer imposed although there
were isolated outbreaks of militancy among the labouring classes,
particularly those engaged in agriculture and associated work such
as forestry.
In the 19th century, the woods were owned by the Earl of Exeter,
then Lord of the Manor of Bourne, who felled timber for income and
also supplied bark to various firms in the locality. He was
employing 40 men on this industry in 1872 but there was a great
deal of unrest among them because of the hours they were required
to work and the situation came to a head on the morning of Friday
26th May when they all walked out on strike. There was no union
and pay bargaining was done by elected representatives. A
deputation was therefore sent to the woodman, the earl's agent on
site, with an ultimatum demanding revised working hours.
There was a lengthy consultation and it was agreed that they would
return to work the following day provided the hours proposed by
them were implemented. Until then, the men worked from 6 am until
6 pm with an hour and a half for stoppages, a total of 10½ hours.
Their wages ranged from 2s. 3d. to 3s., according to capability.
The men asked that they should have an hour allowed to them for
going to work and an hour for returning and this would mean a
starting time of 7 am and finishing at 5 pm with the usual 1½
hours for stoppages. They also asked to leave at 4.30 pm on
Saturdays, a total of 8½ hours work. The woodman's counter
proposals were that they should start work at 6.30 am and leave at
5.30 pm and that they could leave at 4.30 pm on a Saturday but the
men refused to accept this and so the stoppage continued.
A week later, additional labour had been recruited to keep the
bark peeling going and one by one the strikers were drifting back
to work although an estimated half of them refused to return and
sought work elsewhere. In the event, the hours remained the same. |
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BOURNE
WOOD IN PAST TIMES |
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Two pictures by the Bourne photographer William Redshaw showing
walkers in the woods taken circa 1905.
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Bourne Wood pictured circa 1930 from the
top of Stamford Hill
on the road into the town from the west. |
See also Dole
Wood
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