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The Sid Valley Hedgescape: full report

“The hedges of Devonshire are proverbially large and rich. Sidmouth is closely surrounded with them like so many green and flowery zones… In the vernal and autumnal parts of the year, the numerous lanes which intersect and divide this rich valley, are truly delightful.”

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Back in May of this year, the Arboretum launched a large-scale survey of hedgerows in the Sid Valley:

We are conducting a survey of the… – Sidmouth Arboretum | Facebook

With regular reports in the ensuing weeks:

Hedges play an important part in the ecosystem of the Sid Valley but what will you find in them? | Sidmouth Herald

An interim report came out in June:

The Sid Valley Hedgescape – Vision Group for Sidmouth

Sidmouth Arboretum News

The full report is published this week:

Hedgerows 2020 Report – Final

And there are several gems, including this from the author, describing the magnificent hedgerow illustrated here:

It is the old lane going east from the top of Milltown Lane to the back of the James Cornish Field.  An example of a relict hedge planted in Victorian times but neglected for the last 50 years. You can read about such things in the hedgerow report: page 26 gives you the view back the other way in winter.

There is more on this hedgerow in the comments on the Arboretum’s Facebook pages:

We are conducting a survey of the… – Sidmouth Arboretum | Facebook

The quotation above is from the introduction to the Hedgerows Report and is from “A Descriptive Sketch of the Beauties of Sidmouth, Edmund Butcher 1810”