Wakehurst s wonderful woodlands come alive this May bank holiday Family activities tree climbing storytelling birds of prey 26 28 May For details visit kew.org/wakehurst
Welcome Highlights Welcome to Wakehurst s Wild Wood Festival. Pearcelands Wood is one of Wakehurst s most magical spaces. As you walk around today you will see skilled craftsmen celebrating the traditions of our ancient woodlands. Our coppice woodland supported a myriad of traditional industries across the country up until the Industrial Revolution. These included: charcoal making for the Sussex iron-smelting industry, pole lathe turning for the chair industry, treenware, hurdles, shingles for roofs, and besom brooms all of which you will see demonstratedat the Festival today. Pearcelands Wood is a typical Sussex hazel coppice coup (coup derives from the French meaning to cut ). It is traditionally managed on a seven year cut cycle which produces a yearly crop of hazel rods. This management also supports a rich biodiversity including vibrant ground flora, many different tree species, butterflies, and mammals including hazel dormouse and badgers. The demonstrators in the woods will show and explain their crafts and will also be selling their wares. The Tree Listening Installation at Wakehurst, By Alex Metcalf Have you ever wondered what sound a tree makes behind the bark? Using highly sensitive microphones you can hear the very life of the tree, surging up from the roots towards the leaves. Great Big Tree Climbing The team from the Big Tree Climbing Company will help you explore the woods in a different way. Climb into the tree s canopy using ropes, knots and karabiners, while being securely attached to a harness at all times. Sign up at the Wakehurst tent. Creative writing in the woods with Little Green Pig A series of short creative writing exploring the nearby setting to inspire creation of character, poetry and story writing. Workshops consist of games, writing and sharing creations in-group. Sign up at the Wakehurst tent.
What s on in the Festival field What s on in Pearcelands Wood The Backyard Blacksmith 4 Pewter casting - Make your own design in a cuttlefish bone to make a mould and then watch as molten pewter is poured into it! The Great Out-tours 5 Have a hoot learning about Pearcelands Wood s owl species. Make a Wild Wood owl to treasure and place pride of perch in your home! Birds of Prey demonstrations Discover more about the world of Falconry with our daily birds of prey demonstrations. Watch as the birds show off their natural wild behaviour. Foraging walks Discover the exciting possibilities and delicious dishes that the natural larder can offer. Live Music Relax and enjoy the stunning scenery whilst listening to our folk inspired bands. Sussex Bat Hospital Meet some of the bats looked after by Sussex Bat Hospital, which provides emergency care and rehabilitation for injured bats. Twigloo Building Stop by and help Dominic build an organically woven twigloo. The Archers of Herstmonceux Castle Visit the encampment of these medieval archers. Sword fighting demonstrations throughout the day. Face painting 4 Colourful, imaginative and fun face painting to add a touch of magic to your day. Have a go Archery 1 (for 3 arrows) Try out your archery skills. Wakehurst Information Tent Sign up here for a range of activities and ask the team any questions. Refreshments Enjoy a delicious range of food and drink. Stalls Explore and purchase a range of handmade wooden crafts. Treetrunk Trek Explore this adventurous and exiting natural play area. The Wild Man of the Woods Performances of music, song and story with natural history and history from the Wild Man of the Woods, Britain s widest travelled and longest running Green Man. The Hidden World of Tree Seeds Ever wondered what s going on inside a seed? This self-led trail takes you around the trees of Wild Wood and tests your X-ray vision. The Woodland Shelter Tile at the clay kiln 2 Watch traditional tile making skills using clay dug on the Wakehurst Estate. Design and decorate a clay tile to take away with you. Creative writing in the woods with Little Green Pig Games, writing and sharing creations Bodgers Base Sussex Association of Pole-lathe Turners group Bowl lathe turning, pole-lathe turning, bowl carving. Kent Association of Pole-lathe Turners and Green Woodworkers Steve Robinson Presents Our onsite charcoal maker Steve Robinson will be producing Bar-B-Kew, this can be purchased in the visitor centre. 2 Whether you re Potter mad or curious about wild magic, come and create your own wonderous wand. Unicorn dust, bog wood and mermaid s pearls provided. Adventure Corner Great Big Tree Climbing 5 Tree climb 8 Woods for Learning - Natural crafts for all ages Combining the stories of children s classics 2+ Children and their parents will meet and make their own stickman, once completed off we go into the deep wild wood Where am I? 4+ Discover natural navigation skills. Sword making 2 4+ Basic whittling 2 4+ Advanced whittling 8+ Minecraft outdoors 4+ Fireside talks Come and hear our resident experts talk about everything from bee keeping to willow weaving. Ring of Fire! Earth oven Watch cooking demonstrations on a traditional clay, wood-fired oven which has been built at Wakehurst using the natural clay dug up from the site. Hurdle making Watch Andrew King as he makes hazel wattle hurdles using materials coppiced at Wakehurst. The Tree Listening Installation at Wakehurst, By Alex Metcalf Wealden Iron Research Group Live iron smelting! From the Iron Age iron was made here using local ironstone and charcoal. Fire-lighting 2 4+ Hands on fire-lighting for all ages. A fantastic mixture of woodland inspired songs, stories and poems. All ages welcome. Paid for activity At set times Limited numbers Parent present 0+ Minimun age
Festival timetable Don t miss these exciting activities happening at set times during the day. Please sign up at the Wakehurst Information Tent for activities that are paid for or that have limited numbers. Festival Field Woods for Learning Bodgers Base The Woodland Shelter Ring of Fire Adventure Corner On Show FREE Natural crafts for all ages 2.00 2.00 2.00 Creative writing in the woods FREE sign up 2 FREE 8.00 5.00 10:30 Combining the stories of children s classics Creating character 11:00 Birds of prey demonstration 11:30 Where am I? 11:15 11:45 Poetry (haiku) 11:15 12:00 Live Music Poetry (performance) 12:30 Sword making 13:00 Sword fighting with the Archers of Herstmonceux Storymaking 13:30 Basic whittling 13:45 Creating character 13:45 13:45 14:00 Live music 14:15 14:15 14:15 14:30 Advanced whittling Poetry (haiku) 14:45 14:45 15:00 Birds of prey demonstration 15:30 Minecraft outdoors Poetry (performance) 16:00 Sword fighting with the Archers of Herstmonceaux Storymaking 16:15 16:15
Festival Map Ring of Fire Adventure Corner Car park Visitor Centre Bodgers Base Wakehu rs Informat t ion Tent Toilets X Toilets Tre The Woodland Shelter etr trek unk The Hidden e World of Tre Seeds trail Woods for Learning Millennium Seed Bank Festival Field Entrance The Archers of Herstmonceux
Woodland Challenge Explore the wood. Can you find these leaves? Look at the trees they come from. What can you see? Can you match the tree to a drawing below to identify it? Hawthorn Clue: Grows in hedges. Thorny stems. Look out for white blossom in May. Oak Clue: Large tree with ridged bark. Hazel Clue: Managed by coppicing. Many stems grow from the base. Beech Clue: Large tree with smooth bark. Unjumble the letters to find the names of the woodland animals SHDELI UBG OHMT CTARLLPAIER TNU TCHAH Find out how you got on at the Wakehurst Information Tent