Lynchmere common - Mending fences

One of the things that's been keeping me quiet for a week or two is mending fences on some fields adjacent to the Lynchmere commons. The fields overlook the Weald and the South Downs and have been farmed as traditional low intensity pasture and hay meadows since the 1950's, which makes them quite rare nowadays.

Following the sad death of the farmer a few years ago the fields have been rather neglected whilst the estate is being argued over. The fields and barn are now being managed alongside the Lynchmere commons which gives me a whole new series of opportunities and headaches to take on. One of the tasks is to get to grips with the state of the fences. Some sections are too old to mend and need replacing.




I had my first lesson in field fencing this week when a team of South Downs Volunteer rangers came to help with the first section of fence replacement. We're putting in post and wire fencing but I've sourced the sweet chestnut posts, strainers and struts directly from the coppicer, a friend of mine who is working less than a mile from the fields - so there is a greenwood connection to this post! In the photo David and Arthur are peeling the chestnut strainer (a 5 inch post at the end of a straight run of fence which takes the strain of the barbed wire ) the traditional way using my curved drawknife. They were surprised to find out how well it worked.


With the first section of posts in place the wire is strained onto the end post before being stapled securely. Barbed wire is nasty stuff to work with and all of the old wire has been recovered either for reuse or to remove it. We'd prefer not to use barbed wire but this fence is an interim solution to provide a secure boundary whilst the funding for new sections of post and rail fencing is sought.


The result is a very neat section of fence replacing a tumbledown patchwork of old post and wire, brambles (all blackberries were salvaged before the brambles were cleared) and palings with some iron sections, indicating the field may originally have been fenced with wrought iron fences.


As we worked down the side of the field we reached the point where the fencing is traditional oak and chestnut post and rail. The post and rail has lost too much strength to be secure on its own so we've placed the new fence just inside leaving the old post and rail as a feature alongside the footpath.


I took this photograpth from the next field up, nine acres, where the hay has just been made. It reminds me that these fields are worth the effort not just in themselves as tranquil wildflower rich grasslands but also in the context of the landscape on the edge of the weald and downland. We've used up all of the posts I had ready to another visit to my friend Colin is needed for more supplies and hopefully he'll let me take a few photos of him preparing them.