Jubilee Weekend

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archery, battle, bentley, bentley wildfowl and motor museum, children, families, Jubilee weekend, living history, medieval, medieval camp, medieval siege society; medieval cooking, re-enactment, special event, sussex

This weekend at Bentley we’re hosting a celebration of all things Medieval. The Medieval Siege Society are setting up camp on the lawns in front of the main house as part of our Jubilee celebrations.

A Jubilee weekend of fun at Bentley Wildfowl & Motor Museum

Members of the society will be in costume and putting on a fantastic show. The Medieval camp will be here from Saturday morning until Tuesday evening. Come and see their tents, see a battle re-enacted, learn about Medieval archery, armour, cooking, weapons and more.

Combat demonstration by soldiers from The Medieval Siege Society. Photo taken from www.medieval-siege-society.co.uk

Here is the daily line up of Medieval activities for Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday:

10.30am: The Medieval camp comes to life

12.00 – 12.30: Bill Block demonstration (children are invited to join in this training session!) Bills are medieval polearms.

1pm – 1.30pm : Men at Arms Demonstration

2pm – 2.30pm : Archery Demonstration

3pm – 3.30pm : Trebuchet Demonstration

4pm – 4.45pm: Battle Recreation

Bentley closes to the public at 5.30pm. There is no extra charge for this event. Normal admission prices apply for the whole weekend.

We’d like to wish everyone a very happy Royal Jubilee Weekend. Hope to see you here at Bentley!

Elderflower Fields 2012 at Bentley

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bentley, bentley wildfowl and motor museum, camping, children, Elderflower Fields Festival 2012, families, festival, sussex, woods

The coloured flags are being packed up and the tents are being put away after a wonderful first year of the Elderflower Fields Festival. We were delighted to host this family friendly festival which brought together the best of local music, food and family fun. Our fields were filled with tents, parents relaxed in the sunshine while the children played in the woods, tried out new sports and explored the estate. The Bentley Miniature Railway was a big hit with the families, as it ran a special service round the estate as the sun went down on Saturday evening. Campers woke up to glorious blue skies and the sound of our peacocks and quacking ducks in the Bentley Wildfowl Reserve.

Here are some photos from around Bentley estate during the festival to give you a glimpse of the fun that was had by all:

Elderflower Fields Festival 2012 at Bentley

 

 

 

A flotilla of bell tents in the Bentley fields

The Elderflower Fields main stage at night

Our ancient buildings in the woods are transformed into Healing Huts for the weekend!

Glorious sunshine all weekend at Bentley

 

The pink festival cow

Families join in painting a huge canvas in the woods

Special evening train service for festival goers on the Bentley Miniature Railway

As one busy weekend comes to an end, we’re all now preparing for a bonanza Jubilee weekend here at Bentley with the Medieval Siege Society. Next blog post with all the event details is on the way!

A wonderful weekend: Spring into Nature

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bees, bentley, Bentley Wildfowl & Motor Museum, Bluebells, ducklings, elderflower fields festival, Lambs, moths, rare breed sheep, spring, spring into nature 2012, Sussex wildlife, trains, woods

A sea of bluebells : The woods at Bentley looking magnificent at the weekend for Spring into Nature 2012

The sun is out at last and as our special two-day celebration of wildlife and wildfowl comes to an end, we start to get ready to host Elderflower Fields next weekend. Phew!

Everything is looking lush and green across Bentley estate and the camping fields are looking great. It’s your last chance to buy tickets for the festival this week as you can’t buy them on the gate (and there are less than 50 weekend tickets left).

There’s going to be great live music, loads of sports to try, activities for kids, a pub in the woods, a silent disco, woodland healing huts, plenty of tea & cake, a huge picnic and much more. And best of all, the weather man says it’s going to be sunny and warm. We’ll be tweeting from around the festival and will post lots of great photos here on the blog next week. The rest of the Bentley estate, wildfowl reserve, house and motor museum will still be open to visitors as normal over the weekend (though there won’t be access to the woods).

Here are some photos from Spring into Nature 2012 for those who missed a fantastic weekend here at Bentley:

Sussex beekeepers had a wonderful display of honey, bee hives, wax and honeycomb.

Some amazing creatures amongst the bluebells in the woods.

The ponds, trees, fields, woods and willow her at Bentley were all looking particularly beautiful this weekend.

A poplar hawk-moth : found in the intriguing Bentley “Robinson Mercury Vapour trap” at the weekend

Beautiful Mandarin ducklings, just 2 weeks old, being kept warm and safe in the brooding tanks at Bentley Wildfowl Reserve

Rare breed Ouessant sheep and lambs checking out the visitors

Miniature train and landscape set up by Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance to illustrate dangers which face local wildlife

 

Spring into Nature 2012

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bats, bees, bentley, Bentley Wildfowl Reserve, birds, bredding, bugs, butterflies, ducklings, family day out, moths, nature, pondlife, spring, spring into nature 2012, sussex, wildfowl, wildlife, wildlife rescue

Come and meet a duckling or two here at Bentley this weekend

This weekend is Spring into Nature 2012 here on the Bentley estate. It’s a two day celebration of nature and Sussex wildlife.

We’re also opening up the Bentley wildfowl reserve gates, so you can go behind the scenes, meet the keepers and ask them anything you’d like to know about our wildfowl breeding programmes and conservation work. There are lots of ducklings for you to meet and some new birds who are about to be introduced to the reserve.

We also have exhibitors who are specialists in creating wildflower meadows so you can learn about which plants attract birds and encourage bugs and bees. We have beekeepers who can tell you all you might want to know about bees – oh, and some moth and butterfly enthusiasts too. A pondlife guru will be here over the weekend to show you newts, frogs and all about what lurks beneath the surface of the water. The Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service will be here too, alongside the Sussex Bat Hospital (on Saturday only) talking about the important work they do locally.

You’ll have lots of opportunities to meet the bugs, birds and animals up close. The event is aimed at the whole family; for anyone who loves nature and local wildlife. And there is no extra charge for this event; normal admission prices apply over the weekend.

The woods here at Bentley are full of bluebells too and we’ve spotted three lovely fox cubs in a sett near the estate office. We’re hoping to catch them on camera over the weekend.

Hope to see you here!

One of our specially designed bug havens up in the woods

Clever birds

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bentley, bentley wildfowl and motor museum, bird boxes, birds, chaffinch, eggs, goldfinch, kestrel, nature, nests, robin, spring, spring into nature 2012, Sussex event, swallows, wildfowl, wildlife

I suppose this blog post should be about how to build an ark in this wettest of weather. But instead, with true English spirit, we shall carry on regardless of these grey skies. As indeed has our resident wildlife.

Our robins are growing fast in their nest

It’s wonderful to see our tiny robins growing each day in their nest in the log bag. They’re doing very well and keeping dry and warm in their unusual home. Come and see for yourself, the log bag and nest are in the corner just beside the backdoor to the Bentley Tea Rooms.

Our visiting chaffinch peeking out from her nest in the play area

The chaffinch nest in the playground is doing well. It’s a peculiar spot to build a nest, but during this monsoon weather it has in fact been a great place to keep the nest dry and protected. Clever birds. Both mum and dad have been taking turns to keep the nest warm. We don’t think the eggs have hatched quite yet.

The kestrels went very quiet over the last few days and we feared that they had moved on from the bird box. But we now think mum is sitting in the box presumably incubating and keeping a very low profile. We’re working on a ‘Heath Robinson’ system to get a camera into the box without disturbing the parents. Current plan involves complex procedure with tall man holding a very long stick!

A Goldfinch nest we spotted

We also found the most wonderful Goldfinch nest tucked in the honeysuckle. By the time we returned with our camera, mum & her little charges had flown the nest; all we were left with was a wonderful example of bird engineering.

And the best news for summer – the swallows have arrived! The first two appeared by the old farm buildings on Saturday and immediately started checking out where they built their nest last year. Will keep you updated.

Don’t forget at Spring Into Nature, our special event here at Bentley on 19th and 20th May, you’ll be able to see what is in our bird boxes across the estate with  the cameras we’ve set up and you can ask our ranger any questions you’d like about our local wildlife. You can also go behind the scenes of the Bentley Wildfowl Reserve to see our youngest, newest arrivals being cared for. Hope to see you there.

Sussex Life : Nature, children & space to play

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bentley, Bentley Wildfowl & Motor Museum, children, days out with kids, ducks, eggs, families, Halland, nature, nests, play, robins, shepherd huts, sussex, Sussex Life, The Rolling Downs, willow

We’re delighted that we’re featured in the May issue of Sussex Life. There is an article in the magazine called “The Joy of Nature” all about places to go with kids in Halland and we’re included!

Sussex Life : May issue

The sun is shining at last this morning and all this wet weather has left the grass, fields, woods and plants here at Bentley looking lush with every colour of green. The living willow tunnels, chairs and boat are coming to life again and children just love hiding, playing and chasing around them. There is something so magical about a leafy den. The Sussex Life article also features photos of children playing in our wooden playground and feeding the ducks in our wildfowl reserve.

So much of what we do here at Bentley is focused on giving children and families space to play and explore.

If you are bringing the kids to Bentley this week then make sure to have a peek inside the blue log bag by the back door to the Bentley Tea Rooms. The eggs in the robin’s nest (which is nestled on top of the logs) have hatched.

The eggs have hatched in our robin's nest

We also had a second mention in Sussex Life this month as there is a lovely double page feature all about The Rolling Downs. The two stylish shepherd huts featured in the Sussex Life article are here on Bentley estate and you can find out all about staying in them on their website.

The Rolling Downs' new hut with bunk beds (children not included!)

Stay at Bentley in your own luxury shepherd hut

They now have a second hut with the sweetest bunk beds. The Rolling Downs huts are the perfect spot to let the kids play outside, sit out under the stars, cook on the fire pit and discover the wildlife here on the Bentley estate. Long may the sun shine!

You might also like this old blog post all about The Rolling Downs: Far From the Madding Crowd

A room full of birds : Eighteenth Century Wallpaper

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18th century wallpaper, bentley, bentley wildfowl and motor museum, birds, Brighton Pavilion, butterflies, chinese drawing room, Chinese wallpaper, design, handpainted wallpaper, Hatfield House, interior design, interiors, silk paper, sussex, wallpaper

Wallpaper from The Chinese Drawing Room at Bentley house

The main house here at Bentley is now open to visitors, every day from midday until 5.30pm. One of my favourite things inside the house is the wallpaper in The Chinese Drawing Room. It is quite simply spectacular.

The Chinese Drawing Room is covered with an intricate hand-painted mid-18th century green wallpaper depicting an oriental garden full of flowers, butterflies and birds perched on branches. It feels like you’re walking into an aviary.

A room full of birds. The Chinese Drawing Room at Bentley.

The wallpaper has caught the eye of many interiors aficionados and you can understand why. It’s hand painted on silk mounted rice paper, backed with hessian and is thought to have been made in 1740.

Chinese wallpaper was produced in the 1700s specifically for the export market; earlier designs always depicting birds and garden scenes while later wallpapers showed people farming, hunting or making tea.

Wallpaper restoration specialists from Brighton Royal Pavilion have helped us conserve this delicate paper. The paints used on the paper contain arsenic and lead; poisonous materials that have in fact helped to protect the paper, paints and colours for over 200 years.

The wallpaper was purchased by Mrs Askew for the house at Bentley in the 1960s from a London antique dealer who had bought the rolls of wallpaper at an auction of antiques from Lord Salisbury’s Hatfield estate.

Eighteenth Century Chinese wallpaper at Bentley

 

 

Nests & eggs

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bentley, bentley wildfowl and motor museum, birds, BTO, chaffinch, cuckoo, ducklings, ducks, eggs, nests, robin, spring, sussex, wildfowl, wildfowl reserve, wildlife, woodland, woods

What perfect timing. Eggs are appearing all over Bentley estate – and not the chocolate kind this time.

Daddy Robin keeps the eggs warm on a chilly Sussex day

We’ve just found a Robin’s nest with four beautiful eggs hidden in a bag of logs here on the estate.

Meanwhile a brave (or foolish!) Chaffinch has decided to build their nest in the busiest of places right in the middle of the children’s wooden play area here at Bentley.

A beautifully made Chaffinch nest at Bentley - made with lichen and bits of fluffy nylon string

Not much chance of peace and quiet there – but a great spot for our young visitors to see a nest up-close.

We will let you know what happens with the nests over the coming weeks.
We’ve been very excited in the office as Paul has spotted our first cuckoo of 2012 here in the woods.

We’ve been keen followers of BTO’s cuckoo tracking project which has followed the migration of several cuckoos from Africa to England. The BTO cuckoos have yet to arrive; they’re in Spain and Italy at the moment. The arrival of cuckoos is a traditional marker of the beginning of Spring.
Meanwhile, on the wildfowl reserve there are lots of tiny fluffy ducklings paddling around the ponds, sticking close to their mums as they find their feet. It’s great fun watching them scoot about the water and stumble up the banks.

Ducklings at Bentley Wildfowl Reserve

Happy Easter! Minotaur hunting, Cuckoo watching & casanova Kestrels

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bees, bentley, bentley wildfowl and motor museum, birds, daffodils, deer, easter, kestrels, medieval, miniature railway, minotaur beetles, nature, nests, newts, re-enactment, silver birch sap, singbirds, spring, storks, sussex, tadpoles, thrush, trains, wildfowl reserve, wildlife, woodland, woods

Easter at Bentley

We can’t believe that Easter is here already. The estate has been busy with families coming to explore and play outside in this glorious sunshine. No snow here (yet!).

We’re now open every day from 10.30am to 5.30pm (until the end of October). During the Easter school holidays the miniature train will be running throughout the day. The new track down to the wildfowl reserve is complete and you can now ride the full mile of Bentley railway.

We have lots of new nesting boxes up in the woodland and around the estate to encourage as many birds as possible to make Bentley their home this Spring. We’ve already had Kestrels. One who has earned the nickname of Casanova here in the office as he appears to have two ladies on the go!

Our sleep bee in the nesting box at night

We have cameras wired up to some of the boxes so we can see what is happening. The other night we spotted a Queen Bumblebee using the nesting box as a place to hide from the cold night and we found her fast asleep in the corner of the box.

The woodpeckers have been noisy up in the woods.We think it won’t be long before cuckoos start to arrive (usually around April 19th). We’ve been tracking their migration journey from Africa on the British Trust for Ornothology website. They’ve just crossed the Sahara Desert.

Down at the reserve we’re very excited to have two European Storks who’ve just arrived from Pensthorpe in Norfolk. They’re a breeding pair who’ve just come of age. They’re getting used to their new home and will be out in the reserve for visitors to see in a couple of weeks.

You’ll be able to find out all about these spectacular Storks, go behind the scenes and meet the keepers at the wildfowl reserve at our special Spring Into Nature event on May19th & 20th.

There are lots of tadpoles swimming around in the smaller ponds on the estate and we found a teeny tiny newt larvae too. Like frogs and toads, newts have a tadpole stage; a newt tadpole is sometimes called an eft (or a newtpole!). But unlike frogs and toads, they develop their front legs before their back legs. It takes 4 – 5 months for the newtpole to become a full-grown newt.

We’ve found a Thrush nest with three eggs in the ornamental gardens behind the main house. The songbirds are busy nest building everywhere and in fine voice!

The elusive minotaur beetle - photo borrowed from www.eakringbirds.com

Paul, our Ranger here at Bentley, has been out on his annual hunt for the mysterious Minotaur Beetle. He knows they’re on the estate as he’s found their remnants in Owl pellets but he’s yet to discover where they’re hiding.

He’s set up some beetle traps up in the woods – a plastic bottle inverted in the ground with some delicious, enticing sheep poo! Will let you know how the minotaur hunt goes.

Birch sap tapping

Paul has also been tapping the Silver Birch trees and drinking their sap. For a couple of weeks in March the sap is sweet and sugar rich. The sap flows throughout the year but it’s only now that it is sweet enough to drink. You can make wine with it or you can drink it straight from the tree. We found this short film to show you how to tap a Silver Birch.

We’ve seen lots of deer on the estate recently. You can see them at anytime of the day but most often at dusk and dawn. Paul saw a herd of 23 deer in one of the top fields. The males still had their antlers but they’ll be shedding them very soon.

This Easter weekend the Medieval Siege Society are here at Bentley and you’ll be able to see their tent camp, archery demonstrations and costumes. Plus we have an Easter Egg Quiz trail for younger children which will take you exploring right across the estate.

Phew! I think that’s it for all our news this week. Happy Easter everyone!

Fallow Deer caught on camera in the dead of night here at Bentley

VW & Retro Scooter Event

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beetles, bentley, bentley estate, bentley wildfowl and motor museum, car rally, classic car show, classic cars, classic scooters, classic VWS, lambrettas, motor museum, summer festival, sussex, vintage, VW Bus Stop Festival, VW campervans

VW Bus Stop Festival comes to Bentley 13th - 15th July

We’re delighted to be welcoming the Bus Stop Festival to Bentley this summer. On the 13th – 15th July 2012 we’ll be hosting this locally organised festival, bringing together VW and scooter enthusiasts from all over the country.

There’ll be VW Beetles, Golfs, Splits, Bays, Lambrettas, Vespas, T25s, Variants, Polos, Lupos, T4s, T5s and other classic or custom VWs. The festival even has their own resident graffiti artist who’ll be decorating some vehicles during the festival. If the sun shines (of course it will!) the organisers are expecting 200 vehicles or more.

If you’d like more details about the VW Bus Stop Festival and how you can be part of it go to www.vwbusstop.co.uk

www.vwbusstop.co.uk

All the VW vehicles will be setting off from Bentley estate on the morning of Sunday 15th July and travelling in convoy to Eastbourne. As they depart a plethora of classic cars will be arriving for a day long show in front of the house at Bentley. More details to follow!

There is no extra admission costs if you’d like to come along and see the VW rally or Classic Car Show here at Bentley. Normal ticket prices for entry to Bentley estate are here.