Orchard Barn
Orchard Barn is a run-down 17th-century barn standing in one and a half acres of derelict traditional orchard. It is about five miles south of Stowmarket in rural Suffolk. Everything about the building and site has educational possibilities! I bought Orchard Barn two years ago with a view to converting it into an 'off-the-grid' Yoga retreat centre, however since then the project has grown significantly (and very organically).
To start with, I organised working parties to actually clear access to the barn. We did this all by hand, chopping and making huge compost heaps as we went. I was keen not to burn anything, or use machinery, but to build up muscle and re-learn how to use hand tools. It is also very important to me to keep all the so-called 'waste' materials in the loop through composting. 
As other like-minded people got involved in the project we decided to set up a Community Interest Company called OBee (short for Orchard Barn Environmental Education). Our purpose is to model, inspire and deliver 'hands-on, low-tech environmental education'. Our first task is to oversee the repairs to Orchard Barn as an on-site training programme that helps develop traditional skills within our community. It became vital to me to source all materials (and trainers) as locally as possible. To this end, I 'found' trees that had been felled as part of a sustainably managed woodland just 10 miles away, and had them milled in the woods to provide the timber for the repair programme. This Tree to Timber thought led to a day of talks and demonstrations on Feb 28th 2009 by local woodsmen and women. It was attended by 120 people in our local village hall.
Our first course was on 7th March and proved to be an inspiration to all who came. Our tutor Rick Lewis, of Traditional Oak Carpentry fame (and very local), showed us how to use traditional tools and repair joints. Participants used the locally sourced green oak, and work began on repairing the barn in a traditional, community-orientated way. AND, there was a load of learning, networking and fun en-route!! Read more about it here
The Orchard
I am keen to establish a ceremonial cycle based on the year of the orchard. Being a traditional orchard, I researched old rural customs that marked the pivotal points in the year. These loosely correspond to the Celtic Festivals that I have been marking all my life. So, in January, we had a Wassailing evening during which we toasted the good health of the apple trees with apple wine made from the fruits of the orchard. On 21st March (spring equinox/festival of growing light), we will paint glass jars and use them as lanterns to light up the orchard that evening - to celebrate First Blossom. In the afternoon, there will be a tour of the orchard during which there will be the opportunity to meet Beauty of Kent, Warner's King, Ashmead's Kernel, the nameless giant pear and others. We will gather and chop wood and use King Alfred Cakes as tinder for the fire-lighting. We will end the evening with story-telling and eating around the fire in the candle-lit orchard. I hope the children will feel inspired to make up stories about the history and lives of the old trees!!
For more courses please click here
Sarah Partridge
All photos (c) OBee 2009
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16 Mar 09
