Coopers Mill

The WWP were delighted when asked to produce 30 metres of traditional park pale fencing around Coopers Mill. This came about when Saul Herbert, Reserve Manager for Natural England visited Uncllys Farm to speak with John Illes, Wyre Community Land Trust and saw our demo piece of park pale fencing that flanks the entrance to our camp at Uncllys Farm, Wyre Forest.

The wood we are using to make the fence is oak and all sourced from the Wyre Forest, which of course keeps the carbon footprint of the fence to a minimum. The request from Natural England was that the fence should be made using traditional green wood working skills, to a traditional method and from locally sourced materials.

This picture shows Mike cleaving out the pales (the vertical sections of the fence)

The next picture shows Graham and Dan using wedges and a mallet to produce the rails (the horizontal sections which the pales attach to. Each rail is approximately 2.5metres long.

Below is Ian preparing the rails using a draw knife. This makes them much smoother and more pleasing to the eye. It also removes the layer of sap wood which is the layer just beneath the bark, which will rot over time if not removed.

Below shows Graham chiseling out the mortise joints that the rails will fit into.

The group took advantage of the opportunity of an overnight stay at the Mill. The Mill is actually owned by Birmingham City Council and is used by many community groups for activity days and short breaks.

These guys deserved their warm by the wood burner and a nice cuppa.

The following morning a full English breakfast and a healthy discussion on who snored the loudest last night were enjoyed by all! Then it was time to don the boots again and get back to work on preparing our fence.