MetroWild author Yang-May Ooi spent a day learning the traditional art of Hedgelaying at Boundary Brook Nature Reserve in Oxford with Clive Leeke master hedgelayer and founder of Hedgecraft. There’s nothing like getting out into the fresh air and working with our hands, especially when it’s with fun, eager and generous-spirited volunteers, all keen to help each other. The day was hosted by Oxford Urban Wildlife Group.
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In our modern urban lives, we are at a distance not only from the countryside but also from old skills and traditions that have been passed down through generations.
I have spent my whole life working with my brain – the only manual work I do being tip-tapping away at the computer keyboard! So I jumped at the chance to spend a day learning the ancient art of hedgelaying at Boundary Brook Nature Reserve.
There were about 12 or so volunteers that early spring morning. The air was fresh and the sun was out after weeks of rain. We ranged from students and young professionals to retired folk, all in sturdy boots and eager to get stuck in.
The day was led by Clive Leeke, a master hedgelayer and owner of Hedgecraft. As he told us about the different styles of hedgelaying used in different counties throughout England, it occurred to me that this skill would have been passed down hand-to-hand, as it were, each hedgelayer showing the next generation how to do it as they worked alongside each other. None of it would have been written down in books or manuals (ha ha). Each person’s character would be woven into each hedge. Each village and each county would evolve their own characteristic weave as the people of that land worked side by side. That individuality made this skill even more special as we named the style we worked in that day the Boundary Brook Style.
Here is a short video that shows you the various steps of hedgelaying that Clive took us through. I hope these images bring alive this story better than my words would be able to.
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It felt very satisfying to stand back and admire the hedge that we all created together, working with our hands and a mix of living shrubs and cut branches. The hedge would continue to grow over time, requiring some trimming and management over the years to keep the sprouting stems from becoming too unruly. Every time I visit the Nature Reserve, I swing by to have a look and see how our handiwork is doing!
LINKS
Oxford Urban Wildlife Group – https://www.ouwg.org.uk/
Clive Leeke – https://www.theoldfarmyard.co.uk/
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Photos: Helen Edwards, Rich, Yang-May Ooi
Tales from the Nature Reserve is an occasional series bringing you stories from Boundary Brook Nature Reserve as I get my hands dirty with wild nature there with the Oxford Urban Wildlife Group.
