Prayer Labyrinth   On Saturday 26 April we created a labyrinth of logs as part of our woodland field development. Please click here to go to our labyrinth webpage.             Photos from our Woodland Field - 4 April 2008     Horse chestnut Olives Silver birch Wild cherries Weeping willow           The first half of the hedge beside the tennis courts was finished on 19 February and the second half on Tuesday 4 March.             October 2007     Click on the thumbnails below for pictures of our newly-developed Woodland Field         On 22 October we began the planting of trees for our new Woodland Field development. For a video click here           Below are views of the marked-out Woodland Field before planting     The above photos show the preparation of the ground in readiness for the four acres of trees and woodland walks in the field opposite the Priory, to the south of School Lane.  If you have any self set trees popping up in your garden (birch, hazel, beech, ash, hornbeam, hawthorn, chestnut etc) you could consider potting them and offering them to Fr Paul Some of the pictures below show Mary and Terry Lane removing the old, tangled, sheep fence and barbed wire strands alongside the tennis courts prior to planting a hawthorn and blackthorn hedge to edge the woodland. In background of the first photo you can see how our vines have grown!   Below are photos of of the tree felling

Below are more views of the field (before it was marked out for development).

 Please click any thumbnail for a video.

Our plans for planting up woodland are developing. There has been a meeting of various experts, interested parties and workers at the beginning of June. We have planted native trees and have been advised to concentrate on birch, oak,  field maple, hornbeam and crab apple, but this is not an exhaustive list. We had thought to plant beech but have been told that this would encourage grey squirrels which might also be tempted to raid the neighbouring vineyard!

We are also looking at lower level shrub planting and wild flowers, including bluebells. Our plan is to create an environment which will encourage birds and insects.

Between what will be a native woodland and the vineyard we have also planted a small olive grove! It seems that vines are not the only Mediterranean plants that are flourishing in Sussex.

In an adjacent field beyond the vineyards we are exploring the idea of creating a dew pond; older local people tell us that there used to be one there and we are trying to ascertain its exact whereabouts. We are thinking of planting in this area a windbreak of Italian alders to give some protection to the vines from the prevailing south-westerly wind.

Our woodland field design incorporates a new space for the outside Shrine for Our Lady of England, walkways through the trees,  a woodland chapel and a prayer labyrinth.