Chesworth Farm

Surfacing works at Chesworth Farm

31 volunteers joined Ryan at Chesworth Farm as Horsham Green Gym got stuck into the surfacing which we have been planning over the winter. The aim of the task was to not only cut back some of the vegetation such as the ever encroaching Bramble but also to surface with aggregate some of the worst affected gateways which you can see above. It was excellent to see such a good turn-out at what is undoubtedly a tough task with lots of barrowing and digging the order of the day.

Not much was seen on the wildlife front as all of the volunteers had their heads down grafting but Ryan did manage to see a couple of Grey Herons on the wetland fields. David Verrall also managed a nice picture which he took over the weekend of one of a number of Greenfinches seen around the site.

Greenfinch - D. Verrall

Also of note if you are not already aware the Friends of Chesworth Farm are running their next event this coming Saturday which is a guided walk around the Farm. This is a fantastic opportunity to get to know the Farm, see the livestock as well as learn about how the site is used by the wildlife at this time of year. 

Chennels Brook Castle

Scrub Bashing at Chennels Brook Castle

Horsham Green Gym were once again out and about this time at Chennels Brook Castle in the pouring rain! Ryan led the group ably assisted by Daniel who has been helping us out on Thursday mornings for the past couple months. Above you can see how pleased Daniel is to finally get the fire going after a very damp start to proceedings!

The cutting back of scrub on this site is very important and this winter we have really managed to open up the ancient monument but also uncover some excellent grassland habitat which over time will return to add to the wildflower rich meadows of this site. Well done to everyone who attended despite the horrid mizzle!

Chennells Brook Castle

Scrub Bashing at Chennells Brook Castle

Horsham Green Gym were out again today with 23 volunteers scrub bashing at Chennells Brook Castle on the north side of Horsham. The job today was to quell the Bramble growth which was beginning to cover the scheduled ancient monument. Armed with loppers and shears the gang managed to get through all of the target area as well as get the majority of the arisings burnt too.

Chennells Brook Castle is a motte and bailey which is a type of medieval fortification which was brought to Britain by Norman settlers. It is hard to make out on the ground the remains of the castle however the ditches around the motte and the bailey sections are immediately obvious when visiting the site. Sadly the wooden structure of the monument is buried underground and it is only the earth shape which gives any hint to the places rich history. Below is a very simple picture of the principle behind the motte and bailey style of castle. For more information about this particular ancient monument follow this link: Chennells Brook Castle, Horsham

If you would like to get involved or know more about the Horsham Green Gym group then click on this link https://www.horshamgreengym.org.uk/. The next task with this group is at Owlbeech Woods on Tues 14th November and we will be birch pulling on the heathland enclosures.