Rural Skills
Hazel Hurdles - Continuous Woven Fences - Hedge Management - Post & Rail Fences and Gates - Materials
Hazel Hurdles
Split hazel hurdles are a traditional form of woven fencing with an ancient history, dating back more than 5,000 years to Neolithic Britain. For centuries, they were an essential part of rural life, used by farmers as portable sheepfolds and for managing and moving livestock.
Today, hazel hurdles continue to have a place in the landscape, providing beautiful and practical garden screening, fencing and decorative features. Their natural materials and handcrafted appearance bring a timeless, rustic character to gardens, estates and rural settings.
Continuous Fences
A truly traditional, hand-woven boundary, made in the time-honoured way using locally coppiced hazel. Flexible hazel rods (round or split) are carefully woven by hand around stakes driven directly into the ground, creating a strong, natural fence with a wonderfully rustic character.
Woven In-Situ: Each fence is woven by hand on site as one continuous length, rather than being made from separate pre-fabricated panels. This traditional method gives every fence its own individual character.
Follows the Land: Woven directly into place, the fence naturally follows the contours of the garden, working beautifully around curves, changes in direction and uneven or undulating ground.
The natural variation in the timber, together with the hand-woven finish, creates a fence that sits naturally within its surroundings and gently weathers with age.
Hedgerow Management
The time-honoured practice of caring for and rejuvenating hedgerows, keeping them thick, healthy and full of life, while maintaining their value to wildlife, farmland and the wider countryside.
Hedge Laying: A traditional craft in which the main stems of a hedge are partially cut and carefully bent over, then woven or secured into position. This encourages fresh growth from the base, creating a dense, stock-proof hedge that can continue to thrive for many years.
Traditionally, hedges are laid roughly once in a generation.
This ancient rural craft has yet to be mastered, but will be learned in the coming months.
The UK hedge laying season runs from 1 September through 31 March. Work is timed during the dormant winter months when sap is down and plants are not actively growing.
Chestnut Post & Rail Fencing and Gates
Bespoke post and rail fencing, traditionally known as Sussex Rail, provides a simple yet timeless boundary that sits naturally within the landscape.
Crafted to complement its surroundings, it offers a rustic and understated alternative to more formal fencing solutions.
Particularly well suited to rural properties, estates, gardens and woodland settings, post and rail fencing provides a practical boundary while allowing hedges and planting to establish and mature naturally.
As the hedge grows, the timber fencing gradually becomes part of the landscape, creating a traditional boundary with a softer, more natural appearance.
Materials
Hazel Rods, Binders and Hedge Laying Stakes.
These are seasonally cut from a sustainably managed local Hampshire Copse.
Please make contact for further detail.
