Around the Silverhand Estate...

It seems that we will just have to get used to a large chunk of the parishes of Halling, Cuxton and Luddesdown being unilaterally renamed by a bunch of tax-exile billionaire-funded Johnny-Come-Lately arrivistes (a.k.a. Vineyard Farms/MDCV Ltd). As I have said elsewhere, the "Silverhand" moniker appears to have absolutely nothing to do with our area (or its history) and instead seems to have been dreamt up by some computer game-obsessed marketing wonk. 

Anyway, I'd thought I'd take a little walk over to the Silverhand estate again, just to see if there was anything much in the way of grapes growing on the fledgling vines. The hot dry summer is apparently giving rise to a bumper grape harvest, even if it is killing everything else...

Wingate Wood...

Stonyfield Wood - fence prepping...

"Coppicing" in Stonyfield Wood...

The woods around Stonyfield still reverberate to the noise of chainsaws, work which has been going on since at least April this year. These woodlands form part of the Silverhand estate and are therefore at the tender mercies of Vineyard Farms. It is SSSI woodland, but that status doesn't prevent trees from being felled. 

As far as I can tell from the Forestry Commission database, these activities are apparently covered by a Woodland Grant Scheme, which applies to much of the woodlands under the ownership of Vineyard Farms (though the licence - transferrable - was granted to the original cement company landowners, CeMex in 2013). The licence permits coppicing and thinning (which is long overdue in many areas, to be honest) and is valid until August 2023...

Hornbeam, Bushy Wood...

Fortunately, Vineyard Farms have yet to get around to cutting down any trees in Bushy Wood. By no stretch of the imagination would the felling of the old historic Cuxton parish boundary marker tree (above) count as "coppicing or thinning", so barring an act of illegal spitefulness, it should be safe...

Dates on the parish boundary marker tree, going back to 1966...

It will be interesting to see if Vineyard Farms will grant permission to allow access to their land for this coming October's iteration of the ancient tradition of "beating the bounds" (the organisers will ask, I'm sure). I can't see VF refusing, somehow. It would be rather bad publicity if they did... 

Ray and Eiley Bassett memorial bench, Wrenches Shaw...

The memorial bench overlooking Luddesdown valley from Wrenches Shaw looks as if it could do with a bit of TLC but it is still sound. Ray Bassett started the Luddesdown Rights of Way Walking Group and was a great champion of walking access. I wonder what he would have made of the "Silverhand estate"...?

Vineyard views from the memorial bench...

Across the valley toward Cobham...

View towards Round Wood across Bowling Alley

Watching the watcher...

Walking down the NS214 footpath towards Buckland Road, I stopped to photograph the few wild flowers that were on show, and took a few scenic shots. I was idly wondering when a Vineyard Farm "warden" would turn up to keep an eye on me when suddenly, as if by magic, one appeared, thundering along inside the field edge with Buckland Road in a white pick-up truck, newly-emblazoned with the Silverhand Estate logo. I stood still for a few minutes, watching him watching me. He soon got bored with that and drove off in a cloud of dust. Doubtless he had some other harmless walkers to keep an eye on...

Chicory...

Prickly Sowthistle...

A few scrubby wildflowers had managed to survive both the drought and the vineyard's scorched-earth land management, giving a touch of colour to the otherwise dull monoculture of vines...

Vineyard view towards Meadow View House...

The vines nearest Vineyard Farms' headquarters at Court Lodge are the oldest, most sheltered and best established of the vines to date. It was here that I took a look at what was likely to be the best of this year's crop.... 

Some of this year's grapes...

 

Despite the drought, only one or two of  the vines had succumbed and most looked to be flourishing in the summer heat, a testament to their deep roots. Even in this area, the vines didn't seem to be exactly overburdened with fruit, but the grapes that were there seemed to be in good-sized bunches and looked pretty healthy. In other areas of the estate further up the hill, there were very few grapes and the vines nowhere near as well-developed. 

Perhaps it is still early days in terms of good yields. Wine grapes are much smaller, thicker-skinned and sweeter than "eating" grapes and these looked pretty typical compared to others I have seen in commercial UK vineyards elsewhere. Whether there will be enough of them to yield much in the way of home-grown wine from this year's crop alone from the Silverhand estate or not, I don't know. It still seems a far cry from all the fanfare back in early 2019...

Small Copper...

Fly-tipped chalk and concrete, Cutter Ridge Road...

Huge piles of spoil are accumulating on the edge of the field between Luddesdown Road and Buckland Road, at the western end of the footpath that links the two. It has been reported, so I'm told...

"Downs Watch" - by the chalk spoil pile...

Sunflowers, Warren Road...

In Red Wood Field opposite what used to be the old gamekeeper's cottage (Warren House, formerly the Abbeymount Kennels) a bumper crop of Sunflowers has suddenly bloomed. Presumably these were sown by Vineyard Farms. They certainly make for a spectacular view.

Somewhat battered Common Blue...

Bush Farm earthworks...

The ground to the rear of Bush Farm is being carved out, presumably by Vineyard Farms, with the spoil simply being dumped in ugly piles on adjacent fields. Perhaps they are practising for when Barrow Hill gets hollowed out...

Dumped spoil, Peckway...

Bank of dumped spoil, southern edge of Peckway...

Restored boast post...

It would be quite wrong to think that Vineyard Farms care little for the appearance of their property, however. The boast post at the junction of the Both Downs Way with Bush Road had been vandalised, with the original poster ripped off. This has now been restored.

I hope it will be left alone, as it tells you much about our new baronial land-owners...