Escot Country Park and Gardens,
Fairmile, near Exeter
1. Title of the site. The planting is called ‘The Family Wood’ and is located within Escot Country Park and Gardens.
2. How to find the site. Escot is in Devon and lies between Exeter and Honiton, just off the A30 dual carriageway near Fairmile.
3. Access to the site. Escot Gardens are open to the public seven days a week throughout the year from 10 am to 6 pm (5 pm in winter months). There is ample parking. Disabled access and facilities within the Coach House Restaurant are good, but the woodland paths that lead to the Family Wood are not ideal for wheelchairs.
4. Dedication book. The book is located within the Coach House Restaurant at Escot. Admission to the Family Wood is free on request to staff for those sponsors whose names are recorded in the Dedication Book. In addition, in the Coach House Restaurant, visitors will find a picture showing the designer's impression of what the Family Wood will one day become.
5. About the site. Escot is a traditional Devon rural estate lying to the north and east of Exeter. Owned for centuries by the Kennaway family, it has for some time been home to an outstanding collection of rare and champion trees. Within the estate's 1200 acres, Capability Brown originally laid out some 220 acres of rolling parkland. Regular plantings of rare trees and shrubs were added throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and currently the well known land artist Ivan Hicks is adding his own contribution to the unfolding horticultural story of Escot.
When approached by the International Tree Foundation, the Kennaways readily agreed to dedicate an area of the estate to the establishment of a Family Wood. The design was entrusted to Ivan Hicks and the area chosen is relatively small yet perfectly positioned for the purpose. It is a 2-acre site that lies within Escot House’s main gardens. The brief to Ivan Hicks was to base the design concept on the needs of visiting families, allowing tree and shrub selection and siting to be determined by his vision of the best possible use of the wood by families, and by young children in particular. The following comments from Ivan Hicks give a useful insight into his design approach. “Overall it will be a wood and form a canopy with glades, but it will be more than a wood. The inner structure formed by the designed planting will strengthen each year as the trees grow, and within a few years a magic wood will have developed!”
6. Planting dates. Trees will normally be planted during the winter planting season from November to March.
7. Public planting events. These occur annually during the planting season and sponsors are encouraged to attend if they wish.
ESCOT COUNTRY PARK & GARDENS
Fairmile Tel: 01404 822188
Nr Exeter Email: escot@escot-devon.co.uk
Devon Website: www.escot-devon.co.uk