A sunny afternoon in March found Morris Dancing group Red Cuthbert deep in the glades of the beautiful Ickwell Nature Reserve managed by Chris Jones of Bedford School. We need new straight sticks for dancing, what with us cracking them together, they don’t last long. Chris explained the sun needed to get in, so was happy to see us coppice some of the straight hazel to the required length to match our other sticks. In an hour we had amassed 60 stout hazel sticks which will need to be stored to season before we can use them.
Chris told us some of the history of the Reserve. Colonel George Wells, chairman of the Well Brewery bought the house and land in the 1930’s. Alongside the stately home and walled garden, there is also a room where ‘fives’ are played, a type of handball. Racquet sports became more popular, but fives is still played now, often in public schools like Eton (or Bedford School!).
There is also an unusual octagonal dove cote, a thatched honey shed, where the bees overwinter, and a lake.
George Wells left the property and a lot of land in his will to his old school, Bedford School. The school in turn sold the house and much of the land, but kept the nature reserve for students to learn about conservation. How lucky are the students to have this piece of nature where they can escape the classroom?
Red Cuthbert Morris are very happy to help with coppicing the hazel, and hope we can enjoy Ickwell Nature Reserve again.
