The Orchard

The Old Orchard is located off Brook Street, adjacent to the footpath up to the church. The land was purchased in November 2006 and at that time it was extremely overgrown with large numbers of Sycamore saplings to the top of the site with a thick covering of scrub plants including brambles, nettles, ivy and undergrowth covering the rest of the area. There was a good deal of rubbish on the site. Early in 2007, Dorset County Council’s Rights of Way team cleared the footpath, restored it to its original width and covered the surface with scalpings and hardcore which have made it safer to walk on and more accessible. The increase in the number of walkers now using the path regularly was very evident during the Springtime. During the first half of 2007 the land was cleared of the brambles, saplings and other overgrowth. The tree stumps were removed. It has since been rotovated and seeded with grass seed which has grown well during the current wet weather. The western boundary of the land has been fenced with a wooden post and rail fence and netting. The grass has been cut regularly over the past two months. The excess of nettles around the edges of the land have been poisoned. The southern or top boundary adjoins the wall of the churchyard and a strip of land below the wall has been left with some plants and shrubs and some of these will be retained and others removed. The northern boundary at the lower end of the site adjoins two neighbouring properties with a block wall, some of which is covered with established ivy. There are two small areas of land alongside the entrance to the land which have not been cleared or re-seeded but the herbage cut down on them. There are four sycamore trees on the site which grew very large and permission was been obtained to remove these. Extensive consultation has taken place within the community, and a longer term plan has been made. This shows that the intention is that the main part of the land will be restored as an apple orchard. The varieties of trees are being chosen in conjunction with the Dorset Heritage Orchard group and some local Dorset varieties are included. The number of trees is uncertain but it is anticipated that around twelve trees in total might be a suitable number for the size of the site. The top and bottom edges will be planted with a selection of suitable native plants and other features introduced to encourage wildlife. A mixed hedge of native hedgerow shrubs will be planted alongside the fenced western boundary to provide protection and a further habitat for wildlife. A more formal plan - A restoration, Conservation and Management Plan has been prepared in conjunction with the Dorset Wildlife Trust, and can be downloaded from this web site. Please visit the download page