Hollands Farm

Hollands Farm has always been at the heart of what could be called the old village.  Its expansive fields, trees, hedges and wooded areas, providing ideal habitat for wild life, including bats seen regularly in the summer evenings,  even an Adder some years back.

Archaeological finds

The local area is known for its archaeological finds dating back to the before the bronze age.  These finds include a 25′ wooden bronze age boat, down by the Thames.  The location one ancient encampment is described  on the  Bourne End Bucks website  as:

Such an encampment was at Hedsor Wharf and in Mr. Lunnon’s field opposite his house “Southfields”

Southfields – is the name of the Farm House situated on Hollands Farm.

More information on these sites and articles found some exploration of sites like ARCHI UK could be explored.

Wildlife

I’m not good with my birds and bees, or my birds and trees, but this is a partial list of what is out there.

Skylark – as sang in the Somme – taken Sunday 3rd July 2016

In the air on Hollands Farm, we have

• Bats – frequently found out and about feeding along the back of the houses just after dusk, their evening meals being attracted the subdued lighting towards the field.
• Buzzards, Falcons, Tawny Owls – and yes the thieving – Red Kites
• Skylarks – 100 years ago in the Somme, the troops would have been listening to the skylarks
• Green woodpeckers & Greater Spotted Woodpeckers
• Rooks, Crows and all sorts of garden birds and your obligatory Pheasants
• Various colourful butterfly’s and moths

Bat. If you can make that out !
Back (North side) Upper Hedsor Road (17Aug16)

On the ground on Hollands Farm,we have:

• Roe Deer, Muntjac, Foxes Hedge hogs – & probably Badgers
• Field Mice, Rabbits, Moles, (& Glis Glis ?- I understand the Edible Dormouse is about – at least in the SE corner – but no one will admit it.)
• Adders – years back found in a garden backing the fields and – Grass Snakes

can anyone add to this ? – let me know

I’m not going the local hedgerows in any depth but they and surrounding mature trees, and wooded areas provide an ideal habitat – alongside the river Wye and close to the Thames, for this wild life.

Below are two mature Chestnut trees, with a Walnut tree growing between.  These trees are in the order of 60 – 85 foot tall (18m – 26m)

three of the mature trees on Hollands Farm

3 healthy trees – knuckling down to winter

if these trees don’t have a preservation order on them – perhaps they should ?

The wildlife is living well alongside the local community.  Loosing this land and habitat – at the heart of the of our village, will force some of it to further retreat the region, further from our community.  A tragedy for the village at large.

These working fields of Hollands farm – must be saved from both:

“its removal from green belt status”

“any form of development on (what is understood to be) this class 2 agricultural land”