Tales from an endangered Sussex village
Here is a map of Binsted. There wasn't room for every house. But it gives a sense of how the village and its history fits together. The Oaks run down diagonally from near top left: Scotland Lane; Copythorn; Spinningwheel; Staker. (Broad and Green are off doing their own thing in a clearing beside the woods.)... Continue Reading →
Wonderful to read Richard Geraint Evans' words in the Guardian today, accompanying his stunning drawing of our wonderful (and endangered) Staker Oak: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/mar/30/majestic-oak-captivated-binsted-tree-of-the-week
It has now been cleared, but when a great limb of the grandfather Spinningwheel Oak came crashing down towards the end of last year, the large branches fell across the footpath to the woods. The speed with which walkers trod a visible track around the obstruction got me thinking about a couple of other 'desire... Continue Reading →
We were sorry to miss what looked like a splendid day planting trees in the village, the weekend before last. Great to see (disease resistant) elms return to the village, along with limes and alders. Looking forward to watching them grow! Thanks to the organisers and everyone who came down for the day, and to... Continue Reading →
The families of Binsted gathered this December for a party in the medieval church. Four generations were present, from toddler to nonagenarian. There were recent arrivals, and families who have lived in the village for centuries. Challenges and successes of the past year were discussed; plans made for the year to come. But it was... Continue Reading →
A short stroll in Binsted can lead you through deep connections in time. You might, as we recently did, walk a medieval track to find an Anglo-Saxon water serpent living in a hole from the ice age. Sunken lanes, or holloways (from Old English hola weg: sunken way) are thought to have been shaped by... Continue Reading →
Binsted Park is along the footpath that leads from the village church and on through the woods to Arundel. From Spinningwheel Copse, you emerge at the top of a wide, sloping field, surrounded by trees - one of the secluded open spaces that this village specialises in. At the lower end of the Park is... Continue Reading →
We are the Binsted Oaks. We stand for many more. We provide food and shelter for mammals, birds and insects. Even in death we'll feed 100s of species. We matter to people, too. The Binsted Oaks stand for centuries of rural life, its continuity threatened. Hear our story: I am The Staker Oak. My shape... Continue Reading →
It's GUEST TREE day at Binsted Oaks! Let us introduce you to the Ash coppice stools, near Hundred House copse. They're close to the path of the 'Magenta' option of the A27 Arundel Bypass plans. Here is their centuries-old story... Hundred House copse is likely named for the meeting place of the 'Binsted Hundred', a... Continue Reading →
Binsted's 12th Century church invites questions. It serves the community today, as it has for almost 900 years. But back in 1150 the village was on a peninsula, its looping lane surrounded on three sides by marshes. Why build a church on this spot? Who were the parishioners in previous centuries? One ancient feature may... Continue Reading →
