Ice fr
om the snowfall a couple of days earlier still lay on the ground as we gathered to start work on Saturday morning. Local dog walkers stopped for a chat with Andy while he waited for the Sa
ndgate Conservation Society volunteers to arrive.
Our task for the day was to complete the clearing of the European Gorse from the top of the large barrow to the south-east of the Green. The barrow, one of nine recognised barrows on the Warren, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This means that it is under the authority of English Heritage and specific management requirements. The barrows need to be kept clear of trees and shrubs but these cannot be removed by digging as that would damage the archaeology.
So we cut the gorse and brambles by hand and dragged the cut material down the slope for loading onto the tractor trailer, for it to be taken to the NT site at Georges Lane for disposal. As we worked the sun came out and the sky turned blue. We stopped briefly for tea and coffee and excellent cakes, the dutch stollen was particularly delicious.
With many hands we made light work of the gorse patch and soon it was gone. A job well done.
Next month we will be clearing invasive vegetation from a different area of the Warren and as we will be working away from the barrows we may be having a bonfire. This will probably be our last opportunity to carry out shrub clearance before the bird nesting season starts in March.