In partnership with the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), Raby are participating in a large-scale project to estimate the population size of breeding curlew in Upper Teesdale by extrapolation from a habitatstratified sample survey. The findings will then be used to continue and build on a north of England Uplands Curlew Recovery Project.

The breeding population of Eurasian curlew is declining across almost its entire range, with estimates suggesting a 20 to 30% decline in the last 15 years. For this reason, curlew are identified as a “Globally Near Threatened” species and on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The UK population represents about a quarter of the global breeding population, with larger populations only found in Finland and Russia. The rate of decline in the UK, estimated at a halving of the breeding population in the last 25 years, is amongst the highest recorded, and as a result, the curlew is now regarded as a bird of conservation concern.

In Britain, the curlew was historically a common species, breeding in marshes, meadows and arable fields as well as on moorland, the extent and quality of which have probably declined. Poor breeding success, often attributable to clutch and chick predation, typically by foxes, stoats, crows and gulls, is accepted as the principal reason for decline. In Europe, over half of published studies involving measured breeding success, quote less than the 0.5-0.6 fledglings per pair per year required to offset adult mortality and to maintain a stable population (Grant et al. 1999).

Unpublished recent estimates by the British Trust for Ornithology suggest a UK population of 58,000 breeding pairs. Of these, approximately half occur in England and Wales and half of those, circa 14,000 pairs, occur in the area of the Northern Upland Chain Local Nature Partnership (NUCLNP) making it a stronghold for curlew. This area covers five protected landscapes; Northumberland National Park, Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Pennines AONB, Nidderdale AONB and the Forest of Bowland AONB.

Within the upland parts of the NUCLNP decline rates are thought to be much lower than in much of the rest of the UK, and even suggest a stable population. One contributing factor to this is the way the uplands are managed for grouse shooting and conservation, which has a pivotal role in conserving curlew in the UK. This link between management associated with grouse moors and sustained populations of breeding curlew was demonstrated by the GWCT’s Upland Predation Experiment on moorland in North Northumberland. Here predator control led to a three-fold increase in the breeding success of curlew and other waders and annual increases in their breeding numbers (Fletcher et al. 2010). The moors and marginal farmland of Upper Teesdale, situated within the North Pennines AONB component of the NUCLNP, are widely renowned as a stronghold for several species of breeding waders, including curlew. Upper Teesdale forms part of the internationally designated North
Pennines Special Protection Area, which is classified for, amongst other things, breeding golden plover.

The proposed study will build on recently collected moorland bird survey data in Upper Teesdale by conducting a random sample survey across the array of upland curlew habitats present. These data will be used to make a habita based extrapolation to an estimated population size for Upper Teesdale. For this purpose, Upper Teesdale is defined as the watershed of the River Tees and its tributaries upstream of Cotherstone Village.

The proposed survey area of Upper Teesdale lies upstream of the village of Cotherstone and contains 471 1-km OS grid squares of potentially suitable curlew habitat either on moorland or within 2 km of the moor boundary. This total includes 30 squares of mainly inbye fields situated more than 1 km from the moor boundary wall but excludes five squares of predominantly coniferous forest and one square consumed by the village of Middleton-in-Teesdale. A randomised survey of 1-km grid squares, stratified by habitat, is underway. All squares will be assigned to one of five main habitat types; blanket bog, shrub heath moorland, white grass heath, rough grazings and inbye fields.

Mean curlew abundance in each of the five surveyed habitat types, together with the number of squares predominantly containing that habitat type, will be used to extrapolate to the number of birds within each habitat category. These habitat-specific totals will give an overall curlew population estimate. Such calculations may also be considered for other species such as golden plover for which the SPA is designated.

We eagerly await the survey results and look forward to supporting such a significant conservation project of this iconic upland bird.

 

Creating Peat Compost 

Vegetation management on moorland has occurred for generations; there are three principal reasons for this:

• Cutting and burning rejuvenates the plant species promoting young, succulent growth which benefits the species and livestock that feed on it.
• Reducing the amount of fuel load on the moor means that any wildfire will be lower in severity and much easier to bring under control and extinguish
• Many upland breeding bird species favour a shorter vegetation cover

In the latter half of the 20th century, much of England’s uplands were designated SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) status because of the landscape and species they held. With sucH designations comes significant regulation that we must  conform with. This regulation is governed by Natural England and Raby work closely with them on a regular and continued basis to ensure a continual drive towards favourable status across the upland Estate. Raby also holds a number of environmental stewardship agreements that incorporate management prescriptions that aim to ensure a high standard of management, catering for the needs of the complex plethora of upland stakeholders and crucially nature and the landscape itself.

Heather burning was once a widespread practice, in recent years rotational burning on areas of blanket bog (moorland where the underlying peat is over 40cm deep) is no longer allowed, although there is a licensing process available in certain circumstances. Restoration burning on dry heath is still permitted and practised. This is done by a skilled team of experienced staff. A cool, quick burn method is used to ensure that it is only ever the heather foliage that is burnt, the underlying peat is never burnt or disturbed. To manage areas of heather dominated blanket bog in the absence of burning the Estate, with consent from Natural England utilise a method of restoration cutting. The heather is cut with a tractor and flail. Once cut the heather then starts to regrow from the rootstock but in the interim other dwarf shrub species and sphagnum mosses start to get a foothold creating a mosaic of plant species. The brash created is usually spread evenly over the cut site, typically a small area of say (50m x 10m).

When the hydrological condition of the blanket bog is right, then this brash soon begins to degrade and then adds to the peat layer. Raby is seeking to utilise some of the cut heather and this year with SSSI consent we have and will be harvesting approximately 4,000 bags (cu meter) of heather brash from key locations (donor sites) and using this to revegetate the areas of peatland restoration which we are undertaking in partnership with the Peat Partnership and others. These donor sites have been carefully selected to provide the right amount of heather and other dwarf shrub brash and seed stock. Some sites with a healthy presence of sphagnum moss will also be harvested with the intention that the Sphagnum will readily establish on the restoration site too.

Establishing sphagnum is a labour-intensive process so hopefully, this method will work. Bracken has for years been a problem in the upper dale, historically farmers would harvest it and use it for livestock winter bedding and then a farmyard fertiliser for the land. This practice is now rare but the encroaching nature of bracken remains a serious problem. One method is to use a chemical spray applied by helicopter to kill the plant however this year Raby has sought to try a new method that avoids chemicals and creates a useful raw material for a peat-free compost product. Of course, the locations in which bracken typically grows (steep, inaccessible, stoney ground) means that chemical control will still need to have its place but for the more accessible locations, we have worked with a Cumbrian company who have harvested the bracken using a typical agricultural process of cutting the bracken and round baling it.

These bales are then transported to their facilities and turned into compost in a matter of weeks. Heather and Bracken are both currently an underused resource, continued management of Raby’s moorland and utilising both plants in the above ways will improve the existing moorland but also reduce the burden on other resources which all factor into the UK’s goal for net-zero, providing a rich environment for wildlife and upland stakeholders.

The Raby Castle’s Deer Park has undergone a significant extension.  

Lord Barnard, in consultation with the deer management team and a renowned deer vet and deer park historian, have undertaken the works with a view to providing more deer-friendly habitats within the Park. We have incorporated an area to the south-west of the main park encompassing the corner of Bath Wood and a small proportion of previously arable fields to the west.

This latest extension incorporates areas of the historic deer park which was once much larger than the area we know today. Crucially this area includes a parcel of mature woodland (conifer and broadleaves), a water course with areas of low-lying wet ground and two areas of newly sown, deer specific grassland.

The main reasons for the extension are to create a sanctuary area for the deer. This offers multiple benefits:

• Provides an area where deer can be kept safe when large events are held in the park.
• Provides a sanctuary during calving time for the deer to go into and give birth without contending with the pressures of the busy park.
• Provides year-round protection from the weather – shade from the summer sun and protection from the harsh winter winds.
• Both the fallow and the red deer really do love this type of wood pasture habitat and the wet wooded areas.
• There is an added benefit in that any escaped deer can hopefully be pushed back into the park via the extension – they like running from woodland to woodland. They don’t like running from woodland through a small gate back into the park.

For the deer management team, the extension will bring  additional benefits including:

• Reducing stress on the herds.
• Increase calving percentages and the performance of the herds.
• Maintain body weights and condition of the deer particularly during prolonged harsh weather and the winter.
• Provide an enriched environment for the deer to have access to.
• Offer visitors a different perspective of the herd in a different environment. In time it is intended that the deer can be viewed in a more relaxed and settled atmosphere. Whilst the public won’t be allowed access into the sanctuary and wooded area, they may get a great glimpse from a distance – so bring your binoculars next time you visit!
• For visitors to the park who love to see and photograph the deer, don’t worry they will still come out into the park and will still be visible in the areas they are now. Having been hefted (a strong natural affliction to a particular area of ground) to the existing areas of the park for the last few hundred years, the herds will still favour being out grazing in the open.

A new exploratory trail has been introduced at a local natural landmark to encourage children to engage with nature and see the benefits of outdoor play.

Situated within the North Pennines National Landscapes and UNESCO Global Geopark, the new woodland experience forms part of the circular waterfall route at High Force Waterfall.

Created by talented wood carvers, a series of intricately carved and thoughtfully designed woodland sculptures have been placed along the walking route for families to discover. From a moon-gazing hare and an observant owl to a beautiful fox and a giant caterpillar, the majestic woodland creatures have made their homes in the magical woods close by to the waterfall.

Children can also climb onto a giant’s chair, discover a living bug hotel – which has been created by Raby’s estate ranger, Andy Gibson – and spot a selection of bird boxes in the trees.

Families can pick up a complimentary activity sheet upon arrival which encourages children to engage their senses on this magical woodland adventure – listening to the sounds all around them and witnessing the delights of nature in this landmark location.

Claire Jones, head of leisure and tourism at Raby Estates, said: “High Force Waterfall is a spectacular natural landmark with a fascinating history and incredible setting, and we’re incredibly proud of the new experience we’ve incorporated.

“We hope the new trail provides families with an engaging and immersive way to experience this area, encouraging them to think about the important wildlife habitats it supports, and providing them with fun ways to interact with this stunning landscape.”

High Force Waterfall is open daily 10am till 4pm, online discounted tickets are available or you can simply arrive on the day.

A small entrance fee of £2.50 for adults (16+) and £1 for children (5-15) is required to access High Force Waterfall. Under 5s are free. For details, visit: www.raby.co.uk/events/high-force-waterfall/

For this month’s Feature Friday with Historic Houses, we caught up with Interpretation and Engagement Assistant, Lauren to uncover some facts you might not have known about Raby’s Ponds.

Raby’s High and Low ponds have found their way into many a photograph of the castle and surrounding parkland. The 4^th Duchess of Cleveland enjoyed seeing the castle from the south ‘doubled in the blue water mirror below.’ They were constructed in the mid-18^th century, and formed during a programme of landscaping scheduled by Gilbert the 2^nd Baron Barnard. High Pond (also known as Great Pond) was constructed around 1743, and Low Pond around 1748.

But did you know?

Raby once had a Moat Pond

In 1748, the moat which once surrounded Raby Castle was enlarged to form a moat pond. This can be seen in the plan of Raby estimated to be from around 1740-1760. This shows both High Pond and an expanse of water which circles the castle. The moat was later filled in- it no longer appears in an 1812 George Dixon plan of Raby, and the 4^th Duchess writing in 1870 says of the moat: ‘the greater part of which is now filled up.’ When this occurred, the remaining body of water became Low Pond.

There used to be more ponds to the south-west

During landscaping works in the late 1700s, two ponds were created to the south of Raby’s Home Farm and Lady Wood was planted along the south boundary of the Park. A body of water can be seen below the farm in this 1818 Map of Raby. These ponds have since disappeared (they are no longer present on an 1860 OS map,) and have been replaced with marshy ground. In 1870 the 4^th Duchess refers to the ponds:

‘To the south of the Home Farm there is some very pretty ground, falling into deep hollows where Langley Beck crosses it:  these were sheets of water in the last century, as Lord Darlington here made a succession of ponds, which subsequently got out of repair, and I am sorry to say have been filled up.’
– 4^th Duchesses’ Handbook

There used to be a boat house on the ponds

Historic plans from 1897 up until the 1950s show a Boat House located on the northern banks of the High Pond. This shows how the ponds were used for leisure over the years by the family and visitors to Raby.

The ponds were very useful during wintertime

Arthur Galilee, who lived and worked on the Raby Estate throughout his life from 1923 onwards, spoke fondly of winter times by the ponds:

‘Never a year went by without at least two sessions of skating, hundreds used to congregate on the top pond, especially at weekends. John Robert Meynell, a farmworker from Home Farm was a marvellous skater and enthralled everyone doing the figure of eight.’

Ice gathered from the ponds would also be stored in an Icehouse in Bath Wood. Men were hired to remove and transport the ice to the specially made Icehouse, which would keep ice frozen until around June. This helped with food preservation and the production of iced treats when they became popular in the 18^th century.

 

 There were once major plans to re-design Raby and add lots of water features

In 1774, Thomas White proposed an ambitious scheme for the park involving canals, islands and lakes while Raby was being re-developed by Henry, the 2^nd Earl of Darlington. Most of the plans remained unexecuted, except for the previously mentioned ponds near Raby Home Farm.

Castle Photography – David Dodds

To find out more about Raby’s fascinating history, you might be interested in these other blogs:

The Great Kitchen

Coats of Arms

Discover Raby’s Chapel

For today’s Historic Houses’ Medieval Monday we caught up with Interpretation and Engagement Assistant, Lauren to gain an insight into one of Raby’s oldest and most popular features – the Great Kitchen. Still a fully functioning kitchen up until the 1950s, many of the medieval features seen today have been adapted and modernised throughout the years. Understand how the space would have originally been used for serving 14th century noble families, such as the Nevilles, with the help of quotes from the 4th Duchesses’ Handbook.

‘A right ancient and singular relic of the genuine baronial time.’

‘The most curious part of the whole Castle, for it has been scarcely altered from what it was when the great banquets of the feudal ages were served from it.’

-4^th Duchesses’ Handbook

 

Architecture

Built in the 1360s, as part of the development of the castle likely to have been carried out by Master Mason John Lewyn, the Great Kitchen is a grand room which fills the Kitchen Tower. It was probably originally a separate structure from the rest of the Castle, to prevent the risk of fire spreading and avoid any kitchen smells reaching the house.

A passage is cut in the thickness of the walls encircling the kitchen, which served two purposes. Defensively, it allowed men-at-arms to keep watch through the original arrow slits, which were later widened into the current windows. It also provided access to the Barons’ Hall for serving food.

The high, arched ceiling and ventilation shaft in the centre of the roof allowed for smoke and heat to escape, while encouraging the circulation of cool air. A similar, more ornate ceiling in the Prior’s Kitchen at Durham Cathedral was also likely to be the work of John Lewyn.

 ‘An ox might easily be roasted whole at one of these vast furnaces, and I have no doubt many have been so roasted in the old days, when spits mighty enough for the purpose could be put into requisition.’

Use

Cooking was originally done on four open fires, with meat roasted on spits turned by small boys or dogs on tread wheels. Great kitchens in medieval households were principally staffed by men, due to the strength needed for larger-scale catering. The most junior servant in a medieval kitchen was the scullion. They washed cooking utensils and dishes, and cleaned and swept the service rooms and courtyards. In the later centuries, these jobs belonged to a scullery maid. Numbers of women servants began to grow from the fifteenth century, but whilst by the sixteenth century female servants were more common, this was not in positions of major responsibility.

During the Middle Ages, sides of meat were hung from the beams that run along the corners of the room, which protected them from vermin and helped with preservation, as they became lightly smoked hanging above the fires. Kitchen staff had access to many basic variations of cooking utensils available today, such as frying pans, pots and kettles. Other tools more specific to cooking over an open fire were the spits of various sizes and material to skewer different types of meat. There were also cranes with adjustable hooks, so cooks could move pots away from the open flame and prevent burning.

‘Having little or no communication with the neighbouring town, the lord and his vassals were forced to provide and keep in store for themselves the necessaries of life.’

Auxiliary Rooms

A medieval kitchen would be connected to several other service rooms needed for storing and producing food. This includes a larder for preserving food, a cellar for wine, and a variety of store-rooms. A buttery (originating from the same word as ‘bottle’) was a store for beer and wine, and a pantry (from the work ‘pain’ which is French for bread) was to keep bread and perishables. A butler would oversee the buttery, whose role in the medieval times was to see that cups were clean, people’s drinks were topped up and the table was laid.

Developments in technology throughout the centuries altered the roles of those working in kitchens, enhanced food preservation capabilities and increased cooking speed. In the 19^th century, one of the fires was replaced by a cast iron range which used heat convection to turn the spit: a spinning fan in the chimney drove a ratchet, which turned a spindle, which kept the spit rotating. In the 20^th century, a more modern stove-top range was installed, but the outline of the original medieval fireplace is still visible behind it.

‘It is, in fact, those old towers, those old courts, the great baronial hall, and the kitchen, that are the objects of real interest at Raby; remnants of its antiquity, the contemporaries of those who stamped them with the feeling of belonging to them and to their fortunes.’