Historic dam almost fully restored at Croft Castle

Croft Castle and Parkland, a National Trust place near Leominster in Herefordshire, is now one year into an ambitious landscape restoration project to revive the 'Picturesque' Fishpool Valley.

Contractors have been hard at work repairing the first dam at the bottom of the valley and the team at Croft can now offer a glimpse at the restored spillway which is now partially completed. The engineering works involved in rebuilding the collapsed spillway are intensive and complex and will last until early October.

Imogen Sambrook, Project Manager, is excited to see how much progress has been made: 'It's remarkable to see the transformation that has already taken place at the first dam. Thanks to our supporters, we're able to safeguard this structure against future breaches and restore what was originally a medieval earthwork.' The restoration of the dams is vital to the success of the project and each one costs between £30,000 and £200,000 to repair. The National Trust continues to seek donations to support this vital conservation work.

Fishpool Valley was landscaped in the late eighteenth-century when the Picturesque landscape movement was beginning to influence the aristocracy of Herefordshire. Carriage rides and other tracks were designed to follow the contours of the landscape, providing dramatic views across a wild, but beautiful, contrived scene.

Sadly, these views are now completely obscured by secondary tree growth. A large part of the project involves sensitively thinning these areas. Certain trees will be carefully felled over a five year period, which began in autumn last year. Contractors will return this September to continue removing trees in line with the plan.

Good woodland management is about creating a diverse range of species and age-structure of trees. Early Ordnance Survey maps for the valley show considerably more sparse populations of trees in the different valley areas and the Trust will be working towards achieving a lower density of trees, in order to reveal lost views, over the next four years. As part of the project, the team will be continuing to monitor wildlife and update their conservation methods throughout the project's development and implementation.

This will be particularly important, as part of the valley is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its bird life, aquatic plants and lichens, and its protected species which include several species of bat and the endangered white clawed crayfish. Another area of the valley is also designated a Plantation on Ancient Woodland Site.

Gradual clearance of invasive tree and shrub growth will ensure minimal trauma to the ecology and wildlife, as sudden changes to light levels could be detrimental. Thinning will therefore continue in stages over the next four years, avoiding the bat hibernation and bird nesting seasons. Secondary tree thinning will open up those lost Picturesque vistas and will also improve the diversity of the woodland structure and enable other species to thrive by increasing light levels in the valley.

This work simply wouldn't be possible without the help of National Trust supporters; everyone who's joined, visited, donated and volunteered has contributed to the revival of the Picturesque experience in Fishpool Valley.
Further updates and details about how you can get involved and support the project can be found by visiting: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/croft-castle-and-parkland