Bentley often welcomes groups from schools across Sussex and from further afield. We open especially for them and it’s wonderful to see the kids exploring the woods and running free across the estate. Some groups focus on learning about the birds, ducks and wildlife we have here. Others like to learn bushcraft skills up in the woods.

"JOURNEY INTO THE PAST: Pupils from Broadfield East Junior School visited the Bentley Motor Museum." Photo & caption taken from www.thisissussex.co.uk

We had a fantastic group of about 80+ primary school kids visit last week and they loved having a go in some of the vintage cars we have in our motor museum. They are making books all about classic cars and drawing pictures of them. A lovely history project brought to life here at Bentley.

They enjoyed their day at Bentley so much they sent this lovely photo to their local newspaper, Crawley News. I love how focused and excited they are. I wonder where they imagined they were driving to?

We can arrange activities to suit particular needs of school groups. Do give Paul or Barry a call on 01825 840573 to find out more details.

Archers at the ready. Photo taken from www.medieval-siege-society.co.uk

The largest medieval re-enactment group in the UK is taking up residency at Bentley. We’re delighted that The Medieval Siege Society, a fantastic group of archers, families, re-enactors and living history specialists, are going to bring their knowledge of medieval life to Bentley during 2012.

Over the coming year they’ll be hosting a series of special events which will give visitors the chance to have a go at learning all kinds of medieval skills and learn about medieval life first hand.

A society member shows visitors how medieval food was prepared. Taken from www.medieval-siege-society.co.uk

The society has put on one-off displays at Bentley before. Young children’s faces light up with excitement as they get to be “Robin Hood” with a bow and arrow. But it’s their parents who end up getting hooked. They may try to play it cool at first but soon as they get their hands on those bows and arrows it’s hard to get them to leave!

We love seeing the society in their stunning costumes wandering through the woods and across the Bentley estate. There’s nothing better than queuing for a cup of tea at the Bentley Tea Rooms next to a man in a suit of armour.

So this is what The Medieval Siege Society has planned for us this year:

24th – 25th March: Come & meet the Society on their training weekend, as they set up camp in their beautiful traditional tents on the Bentley fields.

2nd – 5th June: A  four day Jubilee celebration of living history, battles, archery and sapping. The Society will also be building battlements at Bentley to make this a true siege event.

30th June – 1st July: A weekend of living history and demonstrations – including Medieval cookery, crafts and archery.

28th – 29th July: The Society are planning a Medieval Murder Mystery weekend at Bentley. Two days of demonstrations, living history and combat all themed around a medieval murder. Visitors can try to work out whodunnit!

21st – 23rd September: The Society returns to Bentley’s Wood Fair and will be sharing their skills and giving a full archery tournament over this special weekend. (Please note: admission prices to Bentley are higher during this weekend)

Society members prepare for a visit to Bentley! Photo taken from www.medieval-siege-society.co.uk

We can’t wait!

First freeze of 2012. The Bentley Wildfowl Reserve ponds have frozen over.

At last winter seems to have arrived in Sussex. Apologies to all that we couldn’t open last Sunday but the conditions meant it simply wasn’t safe for our staff or visitors.

All being well, we’re intending to be open as usual next weekend.

Meanwhile we thought you’d like these photos of our ducks and geese learning to ice skate across the frozen wildfowl reserve!

Contemplating a chilly dip!

1936 Dennis Fire Engine

An incredible piece of local Sussex history has just arrived at Bentley and is now on display in the motor museum.

A 1936 Dennis Light Six Pump Escape Fire Engine from Crowborough, known as “Frank Humphry”.

Frank was a Crowborough solicitor who helped set up the first fire station in the town (circa 1904). He went on to become Captain of the Crowborough brigade for 25 years and died in 1928.

"Frank Humphry"

This engine was bought and named in Frank’s memory; the volunteer firemen collecting the money to buy it themselves.

The engine remained in use until the mid- 1950s. You can still see Frank’s fire station as it is now The Old Crowborough Fire Station Cafe.

The fire engine was built by Dennis Brothers Limited of Guildford (who went on to become Dennis Specialist Vehicles). A company which had begun making bicycles in 1895 and went on to make cars, buses, lorries and fire engines (from 1908). Surrey County Council has brought together a wonderful collection of Dennis Vehicles handbooks, drawings and photographs – all available via their website.

Come & see the engine close up at Bentley Motor Museum

It is a beautiful fire engine and it reminds us of the engine from chidren’s TV series Trumpton. Remember, “Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grub.” ?!

The motor museum here at Bentley is open to visitors at weekends during the winter – and during school holidays. Do check our opening hours.

Photo taken from Crowbough U3A website: Crowborough Past and Present

The woods at Bentley in the Spring

Keep an eye out for early frogspawn. Wet and mild weather is just perfect for frogs and toads. Take part in the Big Spawn Count 2012 with the Pond Conservation’s online survey.

It’s our 50th anniversary here at Bentley this year and we’ve been busy planning a new special event all about Springtime. In September we host our very popular and well-known Wood Fair. Now, we’re launching a new event all about Spring, nature, conservation, wildlife and the natural environment. It’s called Spring into Nature 2012 and it’s on 19th and 20th May.

Spring arrivals in the wildfowl reserve

Visitors to the event will be able to see what goes on behind the scenes across Bentley’s 135 acre estate – our breeding programme in action, with new arrivals on the wildfowl reserve. Plus we’ll have bird box cameras so you’ll be able to see who is nesting up in the trees. There’ll be guided walks, moth and bug spotting, woodland activities, Spring crafts & more.

We want to invite local conservationists and those who work with plants and animals to come and be part of this new event. Would you like to come and share your “nature” skills and be part of our springtime celebration?

We’re looking for displays, demonstrations, workshops and groups who would like to share their passion for the natural world with our younger visitors in particular. The focus of the whole event is “hands on”.

This year Spring into Nature at Bentley will be a free event for any exhibitors. If you’d like to reserve a stall at the event please email barrysutherland@pavilion.co.uk for more details and a booking form.

We hope we’ll get to bring together lots of local conservationists and crafts people for a Spring celebration. Look forward to meeting you all!

We’ll post more info here about Spring into Nature 2012 as details are confirmed…

Detail of the entrance to the willow tunnel in winter

While walking across the estate I noticed how beautiful the willow was looking even in the grey light of January.

We have over 100m of living willow pathways, tunnels, dens and structures here at Bentley. They were designed and planted by local artist Jenny Arran in 2006 – 2007. But last Spring Jenny worked with another local artist, Maia Eden, to create a willow boat and a set of chairs (fit for three bears!).

The willow at this time of year reminds me of Andy Goldsworthy sculptures. Andy Goldsworthy creates spectacular sculptures in the open air made from natural materials.

Andy Goldsworthy's Woven Silver Birch circle on Hampstead Heath 1985. Photo taken from www.goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk

The round windows in the willow tunnel reminded me of several of photos of Goldsworthy’s work. He described them as, “inside round and outside wild”. There’s a wonderful online archive of his work in photos, created by the University of Glasgow.

The living willow looks magical in mid-summer covered in green leaves. But it takes on a more elegant, sculptural beauty in the middle of winter.

Window in the willow tunnel

Winter or summer the kids love playing in it, running through the tunnel, making dens and sailing away on imagined adventures in our willow boat.

You can contact Jenny Arran at info@jennyarran.co.uk if you’re interested in learning more about living willow sculptures. Bentley is open at weekends during the winter.

Mother bear's winter chair

Bentley trees looking magnificent in the winter

I don’t believe I can ever eat another mince pie. Never ever again. I have reached the summit of Christmas excess and a walk around the estate here at Bentley has reminded me about what beauty and calm there is to be found in the bleak mid-winter.

After the glorious feast of Christmas there is nothing better than a winter walk to welcome the coming of a new year.

I’m excited about Spring already – excited to see the sea of daffodils we’ve planted along the driveway begin to appear; excited to see the new arrivals begin to hatch in the wildfowl reserve; excited to see the first blossom on our trees.

Somehow amidst the damp and grey of winter, I can already see the glimmer of hope a new year and a new season will bring.

The Winter Bear with magical illustrations of winter landscapes by Erik Blegvad

The inky black outlines of winter trees against the orange light of a winter afternoon here at Bentley are simply magnificent.

The winter landscape reminds me of a great book from my childhood, The Winter Bear by Ruth Craft & Erik Blekvad. A book which is full of beautiful illustrations which brilliantly capture the beauty of this time of year.

We’re open every day (including New Year’s Day) until the schools go back on Tuesday 3rd January 2012.

Do come to Bentley this week with the family for a winter walk, shake off that tinsel and soak in that much needed winter light under the big Sussex skies.

Dramatic Sussex skies over Bentley. Our estate gates close at 4pm as the sun goes down.

Romance of a winter garden at Bentley

The colour of winter

Father Christmas' woodland grotto

So tomorrow is our last day with Father Christmas here at Bentley. He’s been living up in the woods in our mud and straw house, festooned with coloured lights. There really is nothing more wonderful than seeing the woods lit up as the winter sun goes down, the dark outlines of trees and branches against the big Sussex sky.

You can hear the giggles of excited children echoing across the estate (interspersed with a few pheasant shrieks and a quack or two from the wildfowl reserve).

Children clamber aboard the special Christmas Express miniature train which takes them through the dark to the woods. One of Father Christmas’ hard working elves then escorts the young visitors through the night woods, following a chain of coloured lights.

Elf hard at work in the woods

Father Christmas is full of good cheer and loves a good chat with all his young visitors in his warm woodland house. If you’re lacking in any festive cheer and old fashioned goodwill then here at Bentley is where you can find it. Simple. Traditional. Truly magical.

Happy Christmas to one and all!

Here’s what some of our lovely visitors said after their visit with Father Christmas here at Bentley (and yes, we are in the mood for blowing our own Christmas trumpet!):

“Went to Bentley this evening. Definitely the Number 1 place to see Santa. He was totally brilliant”

“Father Christmas had his woodburning stove and a very lovely christmas tree and a rudolph cave painting on the wall. It was all quiet in the woods and very magical. Our son skipped all the way and kept whispering, “it’s so exciting, I’m so excited”. We only saw the people before us so it felt very exclusive.”

Father Christmas has promised us that he’ll come back to Bentley again next year – after he’s had a good rest and a holiday somewhere warm with palm trees and deck chairs.

Remember we’re closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Open again on Boxing Day and everyday until the 3rd January 2012 from 10.30am till 4pm. The Bentley tearooms will be serving lunch, cakes and tea (and probably the odd mince pie!) while the gates are open.

The magic of Christmas at Bentley

Father Christmas' woodland house in the twilight

Mischevious elves

Father Christmas peeks out to say "Ho ho ho!"

Festive creatures have appeared in the woods

One of Bentley's Nene in the Wildfowl Reserve

Just a quick post to tell you all about our amorous Nene (Hawaiian Geese) in the wildfowl reserve. They are busy finding their mates for the season, doing their best courtship displays and getting hot under the collar. They are looking at their best right now, with their glorious yellow cheeks. Come and see them before they lose their brightly coloured feathers.

Nene moult their feathers in winter and lose enough plumage to leave them flightless. It takes them about 6 weeks to lose their plumes and they won’t grow new feathers until next summer.

After this season of love the female Nene will lay a clutch of eggs, laying one a day. They won’t sit on them until they have 3 – 5 eggs. They’ll then sit for 28 days until the eggs hatch out. The male Nene helps care for the female while she sits on the eggs. A romantic couple waiting to become parents.

We’ll keep you posted over the next month and let you know when the goslings arrive.

Everything you could possibly need to know about Nene

If you want to know more about the endangered Nene, then the book to read is The Hawaiian Goose. I found the book on the brilliant Books About Birds online directory; it lists every kind of book about every kind of bird. It’s an impressive collection.

Remember Bentley Wildfowl Reserve is open at weekends during the winter. Do come & see the Nene in all their glory! And we also have lots of great books about wildfowl in our shop.

B.S.A. Model M20 1947 AA motorcycle & side car

We’ve all been cooing over our new arrival in the Bentley Motor Museum. It’s a magnificent motorcycle and a wonderful piece of social history. It’s a 1947 AA motorcycle & side car.

It’s a B.S.A. M20 which we think was probably used by the military during World War II and sold to the AA at the end of the war. It makes you think of the glamour (and inevitable regular breakdowns) of early motoring.

AA patrolmen would always salute the driver of a passing car which showed a visible AA Badge. What service! In 1938 there were 1500 AA motorcycles with side cars on patrol. By 1939, 2 million cars were on UK roads and 725,000 motorists had joined the AA.

The AA began to offer members night time breakdown and recovery services in 1949 which must have been hard going for those patrolmen working on bikes. In 1962, patrolmen were taken off their motorbikes and the AA mini van was introduced. I found a great British Pathe film from 1969 all about the AA and the introduction of new uniforms (boiler suit & beret) and featuring the mini van.

Apparently an AA patrolman would work 12 hour days, travelling to motorists in need on his motorcycle  and was paid just £12 per week. Hmm. Perhaps not such a glamorous time after all for those hardworking patrolmen?

Bentley Motor Museum's new arrival

500cc single cylinder, 4 speed