The Great A
The Green Heart of Eversley
Now for something totally different. The grounds of Grade 1 listed building Warbrook House in Hampshire are open to the public but have long been neglected and hidden from public view by an overgrown birch jungle. The house was built in 1724 on open heath and had the longest sightline visibility on common ground. Now, a Big Lottery Fund award is helping restore the land and encourage wildlife to move in.
The people
Eversley Councillor Peter Tidey
Lots of partners have been involved in the restoration of The Great A, including Chairman of Eversley Parish Council and the Forest of Eversley, Phillip Todd, and Parish Councillor Peter Tidey. Phillip and Pete were the driving force behind the lottery bid.
Devere Manager Gavin Webster told Breathing Places that by opening the area up to the public, he hopes to bind Eversley back together again - this land is actually designated as Eversley Village Green and the work is therefore vital in restoring the heart of the community.
Hampshire County Council and The Countryside Access Programme all had a part to play in restoring footpaths, alongside an enthusiastic long term volunteer task force of 14-20 led by Tim Mockridge, Countryside Ranger for Blackwater Countryside Service.
The place
View from the grounds to Warbrook House
Currently used as a residential conference and training centre, vegetation planted to provide privacy in Victorian times is being thinned out. Lottery funded work focuses on a triangle of woodland at the edge of the site, known as 'The Great A' - currently it is used as a pathway but the team would like locals to see this woodland area itself as an inspiring destination.
Formerly boggy land has been drained with ditches diverting a babbling stream which runs down from nearby fields. The public footpath has been improved for disabled access and further drainage ditches dug alongside. Plans are afoot to join the ends of the path into a circular route and to introduce standing water.
A double line of oaks has been planted to line a wide grassy avenue with views right down to the house. The team have worked on the premise that they will start to see an increase in the wildlife that uses the area if they create the opportunity for it - and certainly the badgers, deer, buzzards, woodpeckers and foxes that currently reside seem to be happy with the new look Great A.
