Berry Head Update

There have been a few alterations to the Berry Head site this week, in connection with the ongoing ‘On the Edge’ project.
The first of these is the path laying. Three new paths have been laid, one from the South Fort to the North Fort, the second from the car park to the North Fort and the third from the end of the road, past the light house to the end of the Headland. Although these paths are pink, they will weather down to the colour of the existing rock in a few months time.
The turf around the boundary of the car park has been scraped back, so railway sleepers can be put in place at a later date to prevent people driving onto the site.
The volunteers have hung a sign on the gate to the site entrance that acknowledges the sponsors and partners of the project.

South Devon College Students Filming

The project with South Devon College media students continued last week with filming of volunteers dressed in Napoleonic costumes. Volunteers from Berry Head and Brixham Heritage Museum were filmed doing cannon drills in the Southern Fort. Dr Armitage the curator of Brixham Heritage Museum was on hand to ensure the filming was in keeping with that era, and that the information about the soldiers daily lives on Berry Head was accurate. The volunteers got into roles being soldiers wives, infantry and other ranks, the students then interviewed them about different aspects of life in the headland. We look forward to seeing the result!

Archeological Investigations

Ongoing archaeological work is being carried out at the rear of the Guardhouse by the Exeter Archaeology Unit. Brixham Museum volunteers are assisting with the sifting through the spoil to look for items of historical interest.
A JCB and mini digger are working on the site, under the control of the archaeologists.
Some items of interest have been found including, the corner outline of the Hospital building which has been uncovered and a cobbled path that surrounds the hospital building.
A drainage culvert leaves the building and appears to connect the tunnel systems beneath this area. A further outline of another wall has been found.
Further investigations will be carried out over the next few days, prior to building work commencing on the new cafe in the Spring.

Update: Duke of Edinburgh at Paignton Zoo

The Duke of Edinburgh group took their piñatas they had been making for the baboons to Paignton Zoo last week. The zoo mammal keepers talked to the group about how the family groups work, the baboons lifecycles and what they feed on. The groups filled the piñatas with food – and a very excited awaiting group of baboons grabbed the piñatas as soon as they were thrown into the enclosure. It was a real treat to get to be involved in a behind the scenes visit to the zoo and everyone enjoyed watching them feed, especially the very cute babies.
Thank you to the zoo for allowing the group to do this. Back to the usual work on Berry Head next week!

Trainee Countryside Rangers

Trainee Countryside rangers are currently being recruited as part of the ‘Berry Head On the Edge’ project. Over the next 3 years there will be a total of 12 trainees, with the first cohort starting this April. The trainee rangers will work alongside the current team carrying out duties such as habitat management, wildlife and vegetation surveys, repairs to the Napoleonic forts, and working with volunteer groups. It is hoped that their work will not only be beneficial to the site, but will also give the trainees the vital ‘hands on’ experience that they need in order to start a career in heritage and nature conservation.
If you are interested in these placements and would like to know more please visit our website, www.countryside-trust.org.uk
Or contact Gemma Parsons at the Berry Head rangers office on 01803 882619.
Closing date- 19 February 2009

Duke of Edinburgh

The Silver Duke of Edinburgh group that have been carrying out the service part of their award helping out on Berry Head, have been involved in lots of different projects from building bat boxes and bird feeders, to making steps. However over the last few weeks they have been involved in a different project with Paignton Zoo. The group have been making piñatas for the zoo’s baboons! They have been covering balloons with paper paste layers, left to dry, the balloons are popped and then will be filled with food, and thrown in to the baboons as an enrichment for them at feeding time. Look out for photos of the baboons being fed.

Scrub Clearance Begins

Over the last two months the volunteers have been hard at work clearing large rides of scrub out from the car park up to the Southern Fort. There a few reasons for this work – originally when the Southern fort was constructed this would have been a clear grass bank, to enable good views for the soldiers across the site. Over many years hawthorn and blackthorn has taken over forming a dense scrub barrier. In terms of wildlife value it is more beneficial to have a mix of scrub and grassland, the scrub providing cover and food for birds, the grassland being filled with the fantastic array of wildflowers that Berry Head’s limestone soils support. The edge of the two habitats create little pockets of warm sun spots perfect for basking lizard and snakes such as adders, and butterflies feed in these sheltered areas. Therefore we are opening out these areas for historic and nature conservation purposes. It will take a few years of cutting before some areas of the grassland are reinstated, but in the future we will have beautiful spreads of wildflowers through these clearings.

Photos and Memories

The new Visitor Centre means we have to collect as much information about Berry Head as possible to then work on telling the story of Berry Head. We are after any photos, postcards and people’s memories of the headland. All pictures can be scanned so you don’t need to worry about parting with special possessions. If you or a family member has ever worked in the quarry on the headland, or have any stories about the headland, maybe it has a special family story for you to share, please get in touch.
Or ... if you are interested in helping us gather this information then please get in touch!

Contact Emma Reece on e.reece@countryside-trust.org.uk or tel: 01803 882022

Berry Head In The Money

You may, hopefully, be aware that we have been awarded a £1.8 million grant from the Heritage Lottery and Sea Change for a wide range of works on Berry Head NNR. Over the next three years the headland will benefit from a new visitor centre (VC) incorporated into the Guardhouse Cafe building on the headland. The cafe will be renovated and will operate from the rear of the Guardhouse with an extension for seating. The relocation of the VC onto the headland with the cafe, will mean many more visitors will be learning about the wide ranging and fascinating story of Berry Head. Other work will include new toilets in the car park and an indoor facility for school groups. A three year trainee ranger programme will mean four people per year will be involved in all aspects of the sites running, from assisting with repair work on the fort walls, to helping with events and school groups. An extensive programme of repair work will also be carried out to the fort walls and ruins to ensure they are consolidated for future generations to enjoy. A replicated drawbridge will make a visit to the Southern Fort a real Napoleonic experience! Other work includes a programme of scrub clearance, bat and seabird camera’s and a more wide ranging grazing programme across the whole of the site; to maintain the grasslands in a more natural way, rather than cutting with machinery every year. Keep checking the blog for progress of the project.

For further information about the project, visit:

http://www.countryside-trust.org.uk/bhote.htm