We were kindly invited by Edward Barham to visit his family estate at Hole Park near Rolvenden. Edward is a prominent KMOTT Member and the visit concentrated on viewing the trees in the very impressive parkland at Hole Park, rather than the equally stunning gardens around the house, which will have to wait for another day. We did get tantalising glimpses of the gardens when we had a welcome cup of tea and slice of cake after our tour. Members were particularly recommended to visit the gardens under their own steam on a future date, as they are among the best to be seen in Kent
Because of the size of the park we were very glad of a lift in the shoot trailer hitched to the back of a tractor – and we particularly enjoyed the ride. We were dropped off towards the far end of the estate so that we could concentrate on the trees and woodlands as we walked back towards the house.
At our first stop we looked at the general system of tree planting and guards used as a standard on the estate. The soil is on the heavy side with a relatively high clay content. As there are no rabbits or hares the trees are simply guarded by post and rail cages intended to last for extended periods against damage by cattle and sheep. This necessitates the use of creosote-treated timber which should last decades as opposed to tanalised timber which has insufficient durability for these timescales. Appropriate precautions are taken against contamination from the chemical, according to the required commercial guidelines. Until last year deer were not seen on the estate, and they have not yet become a major problem.
A little compost is used in the tree planting holes on the Estate to get the trees started and most of them have got away very well, with relatively little further aftercare. The trees are planted in patterns as well as single specimens and we stopped at the large roundel on the top of the rise, visible from many other points in the landscape around.
We looked in particular at the Platinum Jubilee Lime Walk tree planting in 2022, The new Lime Walk is not intended to become a large Capability Brown style feature, with ultimately very large trees widely spaced to dominate the landscape. The trees have been planted relatively closely, and may be thinned in future generations.
The Lime Walk is composed of 76 trees sponsored by ourselves, the Kent Men of the Trees. It is a particularly impressive development, fenced off as a whole with kissing gates at either end, along an imposing public right of way leading across the landscape and marked at the higher end with a remarkable slate plaque sourced from a Windermere company, mounted on a stone boulder from a Kentish quarry. The trees were tentatively identified as Tilia platyphyllos ‘Rubra’ with its reddish twigs showing particularly well in the winter.
The grass around the trees is kept under control to favour the wild flowers. Daffodils were planted, and a few “rare blue ones” appeared – in fact actually Irises planted by accident, which have diversified the colours rather wonderfully! Grass cutting is used to mark out the footpaths across the estate, which helps walkers and ramblers find their way, and keep to the paths. This is supported in part by local authority grants for open spaces via the Public Rights of Way department.
Further along, near an attractive countryside pond set on a gentle slope, we admired a small group of Plane Trees which appeared to be happier and doing much better than the earlier trees seen in a drier and more exposed setting nearer the top of the hill. This unusual group for this setting is an example of the diverse tree philosophy underlying the development of the estate. Other trees in the vicinity included Oaks, Pines and Alders.
The estate has benefitted from professional advice on its future development, but the family has of course had the last word on the tree planting, with their deep understanding of the historic vistas and plantings that should be preserved.
One tree here that particularly ticks a number of boxes for the estate is the Cricket Bat Willow, Salix alba var caerulea. When well grown the demand is insatiable for the very best wood, which is used to make quality cricket bats with a worldwide reputation. The trees grow very fast with sufficient water in the soil, and members were very interested in the prospects for this specialist product.
Edward also talked about his father’s decision to plant some Taxodium distichum, the Swamp Cypress is highly unusual, and one of the beautiful trees. They are particularly impressive in the autumn when they will be that mix of lovely russet-red, and russet colours for quite a prolonged period. Edward stated that they’re not doing quite so well here where they’re on the drier ground, but they’re all pretty impressive.
In the main woods, the dominant trees are Oak, Ash and Hornbeam. A discussion followed about how to manage the Ash where the Ash Die Back disease was having an impact. The Hole Park policy is generally to leave trees alone where safety is not an issue and where the trees are still leafing out year after year, even if showing some signs of the disease.
As natural on any historic estate, some of the trees, such as the older Oaks and Horse Chestnuts, are struggling in their old age, and are now left standing primarily for ecological reasons.
At the end of the walk we all stood in front of the house, turned around and looked back in admiration the way we had come across the estate and back up towards the Mount and the Windmill which is a local feature on the boundary of the estate and maintained by the family. The “keyhole” cut into the woods behind the monument was particularly effective in highlighting the feature from the view from the house itself. We all thanked Edward for such an inspiring and excellent tour, and in particular for the very welcome tea and cake which the family then so generously provided.
