Around the wood
There’s always something exciting happening at Hill Holt Wood. Whether it’s new flowers emerging, birds singing or students bashing away in the forge you can be sure that Hill Holt Wood never sleeps.
On this page you can see some of the interesting sites around the wood.
The Teepee
Bringing a little bit of the Wild West to the wood is the Giant Teepee. The Teepee provides a unique classroom; have you ever learned about American History from inside the home of Chief Sitting Bull himself?
The Green Man
This unique piece of art-work was gifted to Hill Holt Wood and provides an unusual welcome to visitors to the wood. The Green Man watches over the wood’s wildlife and promotes environmental (green) issues. Some say that he is the cousin of another more famous green person, but our Green Man doesn’t like to eat Sweetcorn.
Purdy The Pig
Purdy is our resident porcine queen. Ruling over the Garden from her palace she gets daily feasts of fresh vegetables and anything else that is going spare. In return she helps our students learn about animal behaviour and provides us with manure.
The Organic Garden
Our well tended and organised organic garden is used to grow almost anything you can think of. We don’t use persticides or chemicals and make sure that we use only the greenest methods to ensure the best results and make sure that we are as friendly to mother nature as possible. At the moment we are planting several different things; pansies and other flowers and lots of herbs such as peppermint, lemon and thyme.
The New Village
The biggest project here on the site is our new Eco-Village. Built by our very own Rangers and students using ground-breaking construction methods. From the walls made from compacted soil taken from within the wood to the roof timbers felled from our managed wood in Skellingthorpe all of the materials we use or plan to use are primarily taken from local resources.
The Compost Loo
All toilets onsite are compost based, not mains plumbed like yours at home. Everyone thinks that compost toilets will be smelly but actually they are not. By keeping the toilet dry it is possible to keep them from smelling. We can then use the waste as manure for new trees.
The Roman Villa
Not an actual Roman Villa but a green and spacious area set in one of the most tranquil parts of the wood. We use the Villa area as a teaching area when we are doing something big! Many people find the setting to be calming and that helps them to concentrate.
The Forge
Students and Rangers use the forge to craft metal objects and learn about metal processes. Some of the things we have made in the forge are: metal ornaments, bracelets, tools, axes and arrow heads. Students enjoy learning about the properties of different metals and how to work them. When you are near the forge be careful, it gets very hot! At the moment Ranger James is making a bearded axe and some of his students are making miniature axes. In this picture a student is forging a fire taper, this is used to move charcoal out of the fire.
The Green Wood Working Area
Set in the very heart of the wood with the branches of towering trees overhead is The Green Wood Working Area. This is the place where all of our carving and woodworking happens. Here you will find people making bows and carefully carving tableware amongst other things. Here is where the students learn traditional woodcraft and gain practical experience.