Press Release
1,600 LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN ATTEND WINDSOR GREAT PARK ESTATE OPEN DAY
23 June 2008
Windsor Great Park welcomed 1,600 local primary school children on 11 June 2008 for the biennial Windsor Estate Open Day. The children were given the opportunity to discover the workings of a large rural estate through hands on activities and demonstrations from estate staff.
Philip Everett, Deputy Ranger, Windsor Great Park, said: “The Crown Estate is responsible for the stewardship of this historic 15,600 acre estate dating back to the 1,100s and maintaining it for future generations. Our professional staff are some of the most knowledgeable in the country and we are all involved in looking after this unique historic landscape.
“It is very important to The Crown Estate to give children an understanding of the countryside and the diverse skills required to run an estate like this. The open day gives us the opportunity to show what is involved in a fun and engaging way.”
Estate departments showcasing their work included the parks department, which is responsible for maintaining the historic landscape features, including the Long Walk, and nature conservation in the Great Park. As such, there were talks and displays from a bat expert and two beekeepers, together with hedge laying and hurdle making demonstrations.
From the forestry team, children watched heavy horses pulling out timber from the forest and then measured around the trunk of a big tree in the ancient woodland, working out the ‘girth’ and thus the age of the tree. They also saw timber being felled mechanically and the ‘cross cutting’ of trees with a chainsaw.
The Royal Landscape is part of the Windsor estate and includes The Savill Garden, the Valley Gardens and Virginia Water and is looked after by the gardens department. Part of their work involves active tree management so the arboricultural team demonstrated tree climbing techniques with a rope and harness and using a mechanical elevated work platform. The horticultural staff challenged the children to build their own garden by using a range of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants and also held compost recycling demonstrations. One of the well known features of The Royal Landscape is the 100-foot high totem pole and children were given masks to colour in modelled on the totem pole faces.
The next estate open day will take place in June 2010 and schools will be invited to attend from the immediate local area surrounding the park.
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