I am delighted to start work on a roundhouse at Parlaunt school in Slough. The build started briskly and I was really pleased to get the walls and door frame up in the first two days. This week I will begin work on the rafters.

If you would like to see how this build should progress take a look at the quick animation on the following page.  Roundhouses 

I apologies for my lack of posts recently; but to be frank our lives have been in absolute turmoil.

On the 26th of February this year my 7 year old daughter lost her two year battle with Acute lymphoblastic Lymphoma a relapse to Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and finally after her bone marrow transplant she suffered for 5 months with Adino Virus (cold virus) and possibly HLH (Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis). She eventually died of multiple organ failure after a contracting a type of Pneumonia.

Emily was a bubbly vibrant, dancing, singing, butterfly, rainbow and Nature loving little girl who bravely and stoically faced her gruelling treatment, we are so so proud of her and absolutely devastated by our loss.

Throughout Emily’s treatment I intended to do something to raise money for cancer patients and research. After my sisters successful fund raising efforts at Blenheim Triathlon last year we have decided to take part together on the 02 June. We have a just giving page set up capablebrown4emily.  It would be great if you could donate at least a little to this valuable cause.

Made a visit to heathlands school today to deliver some hurdles for there roundhouse project, the thatch has faded to a lovely grey colour, birds have disturbed some of the thatch around the edges, otherwise looking very good. The chalk walls have not cracked at all, which shows the excellent work of the students in completing the walls.

This is what the build at Upton country park looks like now! I have been commissioned to fix it but the work list is getting longer and longer, I can’t do it for a while because of my Daughters illness. Its so frustrating.

During the summer term I built a 4 meter diameter roundhouse at Heathlands school Bournemouth these photos were taken in Early July, the children worked on daubing the rest of the walls during the last weeks of term.

A time lapse of the build

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Ive been meaning to post this for a while, Learned to make radial split and bastard shingles back in 2008 when I was helping to build the viking longhouse at The Ancient technology centre in Cranborne. I made and attached over 5000 shingles to the roof, this may seem like a lot but there were well over 25000 shingles on that roof. I have since taught two members of the Dorset coppice group (David Ewers and John Sweeny) to make them for the Dark ages build at Upton country park. In theory we can now meet quite large orders if people would like them. £60/m2

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Remove sap wood, this can also be done earlier in the process before splitting with cleave break.

when edge not straight or too thin this should be removed shingles we find a minimum width of 2 inches about right.

if the source isn’t flat this can be removed either with the axe or a draw knife the axe works better and is faster, best to minimise this as cutting across the grain too much reduces longevity.

Shingles are 40cm long and should overlap by two thirds to make up 1 meter squared we laid ours ours out on a meter square and then piled these shingles up like this 16 layers = 1 meter squared.

Good luck with your shingle / shake making.

If all goes well I will be at the Stock Gaylard woodfair next weekend demonstrating, come and see me at my stand.

Anthony

The thatch on the bearwood roundhouse has a little bird damage. After the success of the pot at Heathlands school I have added on to this thatch as well.

Coppicing

Takes advantage of the habit of a broad leaf tree to regrow from the base when cut down during the dormant season either from suckers (elm, blackthorn, white poplar cherry and grey alder) or from the stem. In spring when sap rises the stump (stool, mock) sends up shoots, which are grown on for usually 1-12 years (hazel ash e.t.c) or 10-30 years in the case of chestnut.

History

• Straight sticks from coppiced wood used throughout human history
• Senegalese chimps use spears (selected sharp straight sticks) to hunt bush babies
• Malle habit of tree regeneration in eucalyptus trees {Australia), coppiced by bushfire
• Whip stick spears used by local tribes of hunter-gatherers.
• Earliest definitive example of large-scale use of coppice material in UK Sweet track 3800 BC Somerset coppiced
• Carried out on a casual basis until the division of woodland for coppice management from 11-13th century, recorded evidence 15^th century.

Coppice management

• Largely coppice and standard arrangement, i. stools 4-6ft apart with canopy of standard trees (Usually Oak and Ash), right balance between stools and standards important. Too many over shade stools giving poor quality rods.
• Standards grown from maidens (central stems)
• Cutting understory in rotation (cants, coupes), no less than 0.3 acres and no larger than 3acres.

Over stood coppice

Most coppice woodland is now over stood or of poor quality i.e.no longer cut on a regular rotation.

After 40years this will no longer be useable for coppice products only firewood and charcoal.

As stool density decreases the trees become susceptible to wind blow. Many animals and wildflowers depend on the rotational system. Degradation leads to a decrease in species diversity.

Uses

Conservation is the main reason for coppice management in the 21st century, but a variety of traditional products once and still could support a large rural workforce.

Charcoal, gate hurdles, hurdles, faggots, Stick furniture, walking sticks, pea sticks

Well-managed woodland can sustain more people per acre than any modem forestry technique.

How to promote recovery

• Protect (fence area to prevent deer and rabbit damage)
• Thinning (reduce number of standards)
• Increase stool density through layering or stooling and replanting
• Recut after three years
• Leave to grow on for seven years

Methods for increasing number of stools

Layering

Stooling

New rooted shoots can be cut below surface and replanted as whips.

The deck at Carymoor Environmental education centre now finished ready for the first pond dipping groups at the end of the month.