Ramblings from the Essex countryside

Tennis, Trees and Turtle doves

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 19 May 2025 15:15:16 GMT

By Sarah Brockless (Head of Conservation) 19th May 2025

A few weeks ago, I played in my first ever league tennis match at sunny Frinton-on -Sea Lawn Tennis Club ; a classic English scene with grass courts and a thatched clubhouse within which the team were treated to a lovely selection of home-made cakes following our match! I lost my match for several reasons: nerves, lack of ability and being constantly distracted by the sound of a Corn Bunting calling in the adjacent hedgerow! It’s not a bird I hear every day, but love to hear, having spent many years working with Essex coast farmers to build up the population.

The Essex coast has another first for me – more decades ago than I care to mention, I heard my first Turtle dove purring in an old apple tree on the Kirby le Soken marshes. Like grass court tennis and cream teas, the familiar purr has always been part of an English summer. It is a sound that has rapidly disappeared in recent years, with a dramatic 99% decline in the population between 1967 and 2020. However, since the establishment of a temporary hunting ban agreement across France, Spain and Portugal, there has been a 40% increase from 2021 to 2024 in Western European breeding numbers as a whole, which is incredibly encouraging.

Our local farmer-friendly RSPB adviser, Mark Nowers , is part of the Operation Turtle Dove partnership, supplying seed and advice to landowners. Whilst the skies are not yet dark with hundreds of incoming Turtle Dove, he has promised me that they will arrive! The U.K. is on the edge of their breeding range and so population recovery will probably reach our shores later than mainland western Europe. This does give the Estate time to establish the habitats needed for these rather beautiful migratory doves to re-colonise.

Due in part to past subsidy systems, there has been a lack of mature scrub within the farmed landscape, either as pockets, along woodland edges or as uncut tall, wide hedgerows. However recent funding opportunities in the form of the revised Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Biodiversity Net Gain now make the creation of scrub and successional areas possible. These habitats take a few years to develop, but once present will be seasonally perfect for nesting Turtle Dove, along with other wildlife. The Estate have created the underlying grass habitat into which scrub species can now naturally colonise from adjacent mature hedgerows or woodlands, or alternatively be planted.

Last winter, the Estate team, consisting of Jamie, Daisy, Sian and Zak, also planted two woodlands, a whopping 8600 trees and shrubs, utilising the Forestry Commission's English Woodland Creation Offer.

The woodlands consist of twenty planted native species appropriate to the geographical area, soil type and existing adjacent habitat. The design creates plenty of edge habitat for future Turtle dove nesting, either through natural regeneration, growing out from the existing adjacent ancient woodland, or with the establishment of shrub species within the mix and along wide rides.

Turtle doves feed in the open on seeds. Whether these are natural weed seeds or part of a sown mix, the key objective is a supply of seeds when they arrive in the U.K after their 3000 mile journey, and then throughout the summer months whilst they breed.

Jamie Dixon , our Estate Team Leader, cultivated our fallow alleys this spring to generate a plentiful supply of weed seeds across the open fields. The photos below demonstrate just how quickly the plots become weedy following cultivation.

Interestingly, the agroforestry areas set aside as machinery tracks, turning areas and temporary storage are also stuffed full of weed seeds.

Finally, Turtle doves need water and so the plethora of pond restoration projects across the Estate, thanks to the District Licensing Scheme, along with the beaver created wetlands, are now starting to provide a plentiful water supply during the summer months. This is particularly important in such a dry county such as Essex where the land is in water deficit for several months each year.

With all of these key habitats starting to establish across the Estate, I am feeling quietly optimistic that before I have too many more summers at Spains Hall, I will hear my first Turtle Dove return!

In case anyone is wondering, without the distraction of the Frinton-on-sea Corn Buntings, I did win my second league tennis match last week, which also makes me feel a bit more optimistic about my future tennis career – Wimbledon Seniors here I come!

Beavers and 17th Century map makers share incredible abilities!

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:05:46 GMT

By Sarah Brockless (Estate Ecologist) 9th December 2024

Natural England NCA map could help developers reduce the number of off-site BNG units required

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 11:22:30 GMT

New tool makes working out which NCA you are in far easier

National Character Areas (NCAs) are a landscape description that is new to many in the development world. However, knowing which NCA your development sits in, and where any offsite NBG units being procured are located, is essential to correctly completing the BNG metric. If your chosen off-site supplier sits within the same NCA as the development then you are permitted to buy 1 unit for every unit required. This can mitigate for spatial penalties that might otherwise be incurred by crossing LPA boundaries (which in our case are far smaller than the NCA area).

Our project sits within NCA 86 but to find out exactly what area this covers click on the link, or visit the map tool.

To find out where your development site fits within the NCA areas visit the Natural England Tool .

Ghosts and bats

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 16:05:25 GMT

A spooky summer at Spains Hall Estate!

By Sarah Brockless

Ground-breaking first biodiversity net gain deal completed in Braintree District

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 14:34:02 GMT

Spains Hall Estate have completed what is believed to be the first off-site Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) deal in Braintree District in north west Essex

Essex farm Spains Hall Estate have completed what is believed to be the first off-site Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) deal in Braintree District in north west Essex.

A developer working in Braintree District secured the required off-site habitat units from the local pioneering nature recovery project after maximising the on-site compensation they could achieve. This approach was supported by Braintree District Council through the planning process and secured using the first BNG Section 106 agreement in the district. An area of 1.3 hectares of new grassland and scrub will be created and maintained at Spains Hall Estate for at least the next 30 years.

Archie Ruggles-Brise, Estate Manager of Spains Hall Estate, said, “This deal is fantastic as it will enable us to dedicate some of our less productive land to nature. This fits brilliantly alongside our transition to sustainable farming and other nature based projects (including our famous beavers who continue to reduce flood risk in Finchingfield!) We hope it is the first of many such deals we secure as we aim to restore over 100 hectares of wildlife habitats on the farm through our Ecological Landscape Plan.

Archie added, “Credit should also go to the team at Braintree District Council. This is the first BNG Section 106 agreement they’ve approved, and their collaborative approach was instrumental in getting it done. We hope it will ultimately help establish Braintree District as a focus for sustainable development that results in nature recovery as well as economic growth. ”

This first BNG deal builds on many years pioneering work to restore nature at the Spains Hall Estate. Since 2020 the estate were one of only five Natural England Biodiversity Net Gain pilot sites, helping the government and regulators develop the policy that underpins this and other BNG deals. The estate now offers BNG Units to developers through the country, but with a focus on East Anglia and London.

Larking about in wellies

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 15:51:36 GMT

�� Wildlife warblings ��

Larking about in wellies

By Sarah Brockless (Estate Ecologist)

Volunteers, Marsh Tits and Oxlips

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 12:54:55 GMT

�� Wildlife warblings ��

Volunteers, Marsh Tits and Oxlips

By Sarah Brockless (Estate Ecologist)

Five years of beaver activity reduces impact of flooding and drought

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 07:34:30 GMT

A project to reintroduce beavers to East Anglia has proven its worth, with the beavers successfully reducing the impact of flooding and drought by storing millions of litres of water over five years.

Five years ago, Spains Hall Estate in Essex worked with the Environment Agency to release the first pair of beavers in East Anglia for over 500 years. With free reign across a 10-acre woodland stream, the beaver family, now numbering 11, have created nine dams which are estimated to store 3 million litres of water in ponds covering almost a quarter of the woodland.

An animation produced by catchment-scientists from AtkinsRéalis reveals the scale and speed of the changes occurring over five years. Data collected by Kings College London demonstrates that the way water flows across the farm has also changed, with the beavers increasingly building bigger dams to trap more water each time it rains. These changes mean that storm water now flows downstream more slowly, some even being held for several months as it’s slowly released back into the river, helping alleviate low river water levels in summer.

Matt Butcher, Environment Agency Catchment Manager, said: “We are delighted that the beavers have thrived and improved the landscape. Their work has demonstrated that nature-based solutions can be used to tackle challenges in smaller river catchments. We initially supported this work as a pilot study and have been really impressed with the results. We have since helped the estate scale up their beaver activity through more direct support, along with other partners, which has enabled the construction of two much larger beaver enclosures.”

Molly Howell, Assistant Environmental Scientist at AtkinsRéalis, who produced the animation, said: “The animation is such a powerful tool to convey such a dramatic change in a simple way. The chance to track beaver-led changes over such a long time period has been a great opportunity for us. It means we have real-life insights which we can use to support both Estate and their partners, but also bring to our wider work. It’s a great example of how we’re able to use digital tools within a natural environment to enhance our understanding of what’s happening on the ground, and use that data to better inform how we support the project.”

Archie Ruggles-Brise, Spains Hall Estate Manager, said: “This is a massive milestone for us. We took a chance 5 years ago that bringing beavers back would be beneficial, and it’s proven to be better than we could ever have imagined. Locally there is widespread support for the beavers and their work, with the community really taking them to their heart. You can even find beaver greetings cards , beaver beer and beaver-themes on local menus!”

Join us in celebrating our wonderful women this International Women’s Day

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 10:16:38 GMT

Today, Spains Hall Estate is celebrating International Women’s Day, with good reason!

Today, Spains Hall Estate is celebrating International Women’s Day, with good reason! The Estate has a small permanent team of six individuals, four of which are women. We have two Estate workers, Sian and Daisy, who despite being highly qualified in law and fashion & textile design, have both chosen careers in the great outdoors, working in farming and with nature.

Neither come from a farming background but instead bring a fantastic, can-do, common-sense approach into their roles, which combined with hard work, means that with the investment of time and training by the Estate, they are both becoming highly skilled. Tractor driving, large scale tree planting, chain-sawing, spraying and fence repairs are just a few of the tasks they undertake daily, in all weathers!

Working as the Estate Ecologist, Sarah oversees the implementation of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Biodiversity Net Gain Schemes, creating and managing a wide and diverse mosaic of conservation habitats across the Estate, in addition to undertaking the ecology monitoring and research projects. When she’s not sorting out seed mixes or cultivations, she’s probably to be found knee deep in either a pond surveying the aquatic species or in vegetation with her binoculars counting birds!

Last, but by no means least, is Anna, who is not only one of Estate partners, but also keeps everything on track with her organised accounting and budgeting ability, in between bringing up three young boys. Proper multi-tasking!

Various studies over recent years have shown that a mixed team of men and women yields better productivity, increased innovation, better staff retention and reliability.

An open-minded approach, has enabled the Estate to expand its work force, with a diverse set of individuals, but who collectively make a strong and competent team.

Thank you to all our team, but especially our Wonderful Women on this special day!

Jack and Jill go haring about Spains Hall estate

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 11:16:01 GMT

�� Wildlife warblings ��

Mad March Hare.

By Sarah Brockless (Estate Ecologist)

Westminster launch of powerful report

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 15:47:25 GMT

Independent report calls for 10 steps to recover our water environment

Archie was honoured to be invited to the launch of a new, and very challenging, report on the state of freshwaters in the UK. Facilitated by the professional body CIWEM the report challenges the next government to review and reform the water industry, alongside calling for stringer regulation of both their activities and those of farmers, in order to bring our water ways back to life.

We need A Fresh Water Future

Over 80 per cent of the public are concerned about the state of nature in the UK – with the health of our water vital to this majority.
More than three-quarters of the public believe water reform should be a major priority for the next government following a general election.
Experts believe that our water is in a declining state of health and resilience.

With climate change advancing rapidly and the health of nature and potentially the public under threat from increasing and more complex sources of pollution, flood risk and drought, we need a new focus and ambition on water.

We need to think and do differently.

A Fresh Water Future brought together almost 5000 people to understand pressures and perspectives on water and to co-create a set of recommendations for the next government, whoever that may be.

Recommendations that are workable, realistic and recognise healthy water as the foundation for a prosperous nation.

Read the report in full now at: www.afreshwaterfuture.org

Estate supplies case-studies to first-of-its kind online toolkit to help farmers plan nature projects

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 15:19:17 GMT

Green Finance Institute's 'Farmer Toolkit' features 3 estate case studies

Today, the Green Finance Institute has published a first-of-its-kind toolkit, developed in collaboration with over 100 farmers, to empower the farming and rural community to assess nature market opportunities, diversify their revenue streams, and unlock finance for nature restoration.

The estate worked with the GFI to create three detailed case studies designed to help others build high quality nature projects on farms.

Enviro-tech firm uses estate's experience to refine product for land managers

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 15:09:32 GMT

Archie & Sarah deliver webinar series for Zulu Ecosystems staff

Cutting edge technology firm Zulu Ecosystems, whose mission is to "Help you regenerate nature at scale" have been working with Archie and Sarah. They commissioned us to help them learn from our experience of designing and delivering nature based approaches to farmland ecology recovery and natural flood management. In a series of in depth webinars the team from the estate walked the Zulu staff, founders and executives through their approach to Natural Capital , Biodiversity Net Gain , Natural Flood Management , on-farm water management and much more.

The talismanic work the estate does with beaver and flood risk management was highlighted in a recent interview on the Zulu Ecosystems website and social media.

If you or your team are interested in doing similar, or need some expert advice on your own projects please get in touch .

Red list residents bring colour to grey days

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 17:09:33 GMT

�� Wildlife warblings ��

Yellowhammers are welcome flashes of colour in winter

Hope for our Hedges

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 10:12:14 GMT

�� Wildlife warblings ��

Essex beaver project contributes data to national enclosure report

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 14:52:20 GMT

Natural England report makes use of data and insights for national report

"Beavers in licensed enclosures: licensees' objectives, opinions and experiences" is an authoritative report prepared by Natural England, and our beaver enclosures provide the cover image, and insights.

Click on the cover image below to download the report.

Forestry Group tour the estate

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 15:29:22 GMT

Forestry and Woodland Advisory Committee visit

The influential Forestry and Woodland Advisory Committee , who advise the Forestry Commission on policy and practice relating to woodlands held their October meeting in Finchingfield and followed it with a tour of the estate. Sarah Brockless, our ecologist, led the group through our ancient woodlands, woodland creation areas, agroforestry and beaver enclosures.

FWAC Chair, Jane Rabagliati, enjoyed the visit greatly, saying, "Thank you so much for the wonderful visit to Spains Hall Estate. Your enthusiasm is infectious, and the progress you have made with a very ambitious project is inspirational. The crowning glory, albeit in the dark, was seeing what your two furry workers and their offspring have achieved in such a short time. The members of the FWAC were unanimous in their appreciation of a truly memorable visit."

Essex Life "A vision for our countryside"

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:15:28 GMT

Lifestyle magazine reveals Estate's plans

Glossy lifestyle magazine Essex Life featured a write up by Angeline Braidwood of the estate's work and plans for the future in their November 2023 edition.

Estate tracks built to reduce silt runoff into rivers

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 10:51:45 GMT

Hardcore tracks used to reduce water pollution

If you've been walking round the estate footpaths you might have spotted some plant and machinery, and quite a lot of rubble! This is part of a programme to create 3000m of new tracks on the estate, funded through Countryside Stewardship and supported by Catchment Sensitive Farming . The purpose of these new tracks is to enable us to move around the farm year round without damaging soils, causing ruts which then lead to erosion and pollution of rivers.

Sarah Brockless, the estate's ecologist, devised the tracks plan as part of her estate-wide ecological master plan. She identified areas where wet ground, slopes and water runoff were causing issues and proposed new tracks, cross drains and other measures (such as grassland creation) to reduce these risks. Thanks to her expertise and experience our ideas gained the necessary support from the local Catchment Sensitive Farming advisors, which meant we could include them in a larger application to the government's farm support scheme, Countryside Stewardship.

In some areas this support means we can change grass tracks to hardcore, and create totally new tracks away from sensitive, wet and valuable woodland edge habitat. The work is being carried out by local contractor, Andrew Hull, based in Shalford.

This type of grant funding is available to all farmers, so if you fancy doing something similar then get in touch with your local Catchment Sensitive Farming advisor to find out what's likely to be possible in your patch. If you are local to the estate and Essex then the North Essex Farm Cluster can also help.

Estate manager appointed Chair of two local initiatives

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 10:24:08 GMT

Archie set to lead charity and farm cluster

We are delighted that Archie Ruggles-Brise, the estate's owner and manager, has been appointed to lead two important local initiatives.

As a founder of the Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust Archie worked with others to set up the charity to improve and support local rivers. Initially working as part-time Director, he has been a trustee since 2014 and will now take over from outgoing Chair, local farmer Andrew Davies, who has led the charity since inception.

A founder Director of the North Essex Farm Cluster Archie will also lead this vital collaboration with local farmers in the Blackwater Catchment and beyond.

Archie said, "I'm honoured to step into the Chair for both organisations and will build on the inspirational leadership Andrew has shown for the Rivers Trust. The needs of the environment have never been greater, with water and farming the linking factor in so many challenges, and their solutions. The Trust leads both the Essex Rivers Hub and East Suffolk Catchment partnership and is expert in bringing partners together to get things done, the cluster in building a ground up swell of action from eth farming community, so the aims of both organisations align well. My aim will be to support our expert and dedicated team and trustees in delivering landscape scale visions and projects, and building greater links with others doing the same."

Beavers contribute to £33m worth of environmental improvements featured in Environment Agency yearly review

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:51:59 GMT

Beavers tell their story in 2023's "Tales from an East Anglian riverbank"

A key partner of the Estate in delivering our beaver and natural flood management work since 2018 the Environment Agency have published a new look annual review summing up the projects they have supported in 202-2023. It makes for impressive reading!

Phase 2 of the estate's beaver project is one of 25 projects supported this year, totally almost £1m of environmental funding, that generated in excess of £33m of associated benefits across the region over 25 years.

Read the full run down here , with projects working on everything from invasive shrimps to integrated wetlands the programme has drawn in huge amounts of additional funds from others (including water companies and local authorities).

University Master's students field visit day

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 10:53:35 GMT

Kings College London students annual field visit day

We were delighted to welcome the annual visit from a group of Mater's students and their lecturers from Kings College London.

The Environmental Science for Sustainability students spent the day on the estate.

Spains Hall Estate is an area of interest because of flooding, natural flood management, agriculture and rewilding activity including reintroduction of the Eurasian Beaver. It is also a site of the ECH2020 ReSET sustainability research project and a range of experiments and environmental monitoring is in place. The students spent the morning looking at the broader landscapes and instrumentation set up to monitor Natural Flood Management and other aspects of environmental sustainability. In the afternoon they visited the agroforestry sites and the beaver enclosure for a tour with the landowner. They saw first hand plenty of the beavers' handiwork with timber felling and dam building.

The estate hosts and increasing number of research sensors and provides baselines for work in urban landscapes as part of the Reset and other projects. You can view much of the data generated in real time here .

Trustees see pioneering environmental work first hand

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 10:36:03 GMT

Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust's board revisit estate

The trustees of the Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust, a charity the estate has supported since it started in 2014, re-visited the estate to look at the latest round of project work. They heard from Archie Ruggles-Brise, ESRT Trustee and landowner, about the thinking behind the various different project areas, including beaver wetlands, nut growing, woodland creation and natural flood management. The trust were instrumental in supporting the first beaver and NFM project in 2018, and have maintained their close links to the estate ever since.

FWAG East brave the weather to show farmers round the Estate

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 10:28:09 GMT

Environmental Charity members explore future land use projects

FWAG East, an environmental charity supporting farmers to enhance the environment brough almost 30 members to explore the estate. The tour, led by Ecologist Sarah Brockless and owner Archie Ruggles-Brise, took the group through the new and old beaver enclosures, round the agroforestry fields and along new tracks. Lively discussion covered funding, food production, environmental and practical challenges and, of course, the busy beavers.

If you want to book a tour for your group drop us a line at enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk

Beaver baby boom!

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 07:00:22 GMT

Fourth litter for busy Essex beaver family

Keeping up with their busy reputation the #essexbeavers have produced yet another litter of kits in 2023. This brings the family to 11 and the total number of enclosed beavers on the ground-breaking Essex estate to 15, thought to be the largest enclosed population in England.

First introduced in March 2019 , the two original adult beavers have now bred every year, showing that they are well fed and comfortable in their 10 acre fenced enclosure. Two newer beaver pairs, released into two far larger 50 acres enclosures in 2023 , have yet to breed.

Photographer Simon Hurwitz, who caught the first glimpse of this years new arrivals, said, "It's always such a great pleasure to witness the emergence of the kits. They are so much smaller than their mother, floating higher in the water, looking like fuzzy miniature versions. Like all children they often need a bit of encouragement to do things, I regularly see the parents grab a kit in their mouth and drag them off to bed in the morning! It's a joy and privilege to watch them growing up and integrating into the family group."

Simon is one of two expert guides who lead paying guests on dawn and dusk visits to the enclosure to watch the beavers in action. With the first visits starting in a few days time the appearance of these new kits is perfect timing for others who want to catch a glimpse of them. You can check availability and book instantly on the website https://spainshallpartnership.checkfront.co.uk/reserve/

Sarah Brockless , the Estate's ecologist, said, "The woodland is becoming a fantastically diverse mosaic of habitats, and the more area the beavers impact, the more space they create for greater numbers and diversity of wildlife. In the mixed willow scrub, the former arable field now becoming wet grasslands, wet woodland and deeper water we now have frogs and toads galore, dragonflies and damselflies and other freshwater invertebrates providing food for kingfishers and water shrews. The huge amount of deadwood provides habitats for fungi and lots more invertebrates. Water birds including ducks, moorhen and Greylag geese are all now well established and breeding in the wetland. It is the most diverse and vibrant place on the farm."

Estate manager, Archie Ruggles-Brise, welcomed these latest arrivals saying, "The beaver family in our first enclosure just go from strength to strength. With every year their number grows and their ability to transform the formerly dry woodland into a wetland paradise increases. We are confident that once again, despite the rest of the estate drying out rapidly, that the beaver wetlands will remain wet all year round, providing a valuable resource in the landscape. We've taken what the beavers have taught us and now have plans to emulate their water management work much wider across the landscape."

Biodiversity Net Gain Credits officials tour estate

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 13:03:55 GMT

Defra and Natural England officials visit as part of BNG Credits Pilot

We were honoured to host a visit from a range of Defra and Natural England officials last week. On a very rainy day (which was great after so much dry weather!) we toured the estate on foot, looking at ancient woodlands, woodland creation sites, agroforestry, BNG candidate areas and, of course, the work of our rodent friends .

The estate has been working with Natural England's Credits team as part of the Biodiversity Net Gain Credits Pilot since 2019, but this is the first time since lockdown we've had the chance to welcome a broad cross section of experts for a visit. Discussions ranged widely, from technical challenges and observations with the BNG Metric itself (such as how do you accommodate the work of beavers?) to wider issues such as how public and private schemes (like ELM and BNG ) aim to work together to drive nature recovery.

We value our involvement in the Credits pilot extremely highly, as it has enabled us to explore and plan for land-use change projects at a scale and over a timescale that would otherwise have been impossible to consider. More widely it also enables us to contribute to policy development, feeding in practical experiences of rural land management, costings expertise, insights to attitudes and much more. We hope this will assist officials to make the policy as good as it can be and to set a direction of travel that means nature recovery is within reach of all land members.

Industry picks up farm water management report

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 12:17:54 GMT

‘Whole farm reservoir’ approach featured in industry publications

Engineering and design consultancy Atkins (member of the SNC-Lavalin Group), working in partnership with the Spains Hall Estate, has demonstrated a new approach to winter water storage - which can help significantly alleviate summer droughts and winter flooding.

Read the full story on our original blog post .

The report has been featured in articles in prestigious industry publications, including the New Civil Engineer , Utility Week and Infrastructure Intelligence showing the relevance of the work across sectors.

For a copy of the report go to https://www.spainshallestate.co.uk/water

Invitation to Number 10 Downing Street to talk Green Finance

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 09:14:26 GMT

Nature finance meeting launches new innovation fund, but doubts remain on financial viability for holistic approaches

It's not every day that you receive an invitation to go behind one of the most famous doors in the world, but that's what happened earlier this week. After working alongside the Green Finance Initiative on their Investment Readiness Toolkit Archie was asked to attend a roundtable and reception on 'Mobilising Nature Finance for Farmers and Land Managers'.

The Secretary of State took the opportunity to re-iterate the government's desire to enable income to be earned by farmers and land managers from things like biodiversity credits and carbon. This isn't the first time we have heard this, indeed it is the bedrock of the (now long forgotten?) 'payments for public goods' agenda first championed by Michael Gove back in 2018 . Since then we have seen the gradual development of a new system of public payments , focusing more around environmental work than food production, but these is still a great deal of work to be done to open up these new markets effectively.

However, the scale of the twin climatic and nature crises mean that more funds are needed, up to £33bn by some accounts . So the government has its eye on the private sector, particularly investors and financiers, to pick up the tab in what they forecast to be a market worth $18.4 trillion in 2021 . The SoS launched a third round of the popular NEIRF grant scheme , with a promised focus on farmers and land managers, which is very welcome. We await further details of what this will look like, and what sort of projects are likely to secure support to scale solutions.

On the ground these things really come to a head, and what is interesting about the government's position, is that they keep promising land managers they will be able to accumulate payments on single land parcels. The theory being that this will make environmental work profitable enough to displace the current land use is certain areas. We have been at the forefront of trying to make this system work for a number of years now, and the practicalities and individual scheme rules keep getting in the way.

Multiple outcomes from land management are essential in the space-scarce UK. Arguments about 'setting aside' land for one use, or another, are become less and less viable in our small isles. ' Protect the best, Restore the rest ' is absolutely the way to go for the UK. However, to do this means being clever about what we expect from our land, and how we reward those outcomes. The systems we employ need to feed us, protect us from harm, power and heat our homes and restore the underlying planetary support systems we all rely on. Integration is key, building food production into the restoration ecosystem is essential, alongside designing conservation and food production systems that are mutually supportive. This is possible. However, it cannot be done for free. As businesses we need to factor in paying the bills to all of this. Whatever the land is currently being used for is a conscious choice, based in part on generating enough income to support the business.

To encourage change land use requires, at its most basic level, the ability to match the income generation potential of the current land use. If it doesn't, uptake of more sustainable systems will be limited to philanthropic and grant-aided approaches, which won't deliver the scale of change we need. By bringing together rewards for products of land that aren't extracted (such as clean water, biodiversity recovery, carbon removals) we could aggregate sufficient financial value to support change to the natural capital management system. Some of these improvements deliver value directly back to our own businesses, and for those we shouldn't seek payment. But the benefits of others (such as flood risk reduction) are felt elsewhere, and for those to be maintained we need to transfer that value back to the originators.

The policy is clear - stacked and bundled markets for ecosystem services are the future (and we agree), but the implementation of offset schemes (particularly) and even government grant schemes, are falling back to limiting funding to 'inputs', judging additionality on grants-type approaches. We would welcome a more rapid move towards additionality built around outcomes, after a period of baselining and sensitivity analysis, so that we, as market participants, can link the scale and quality of the outcomes directly to those who benefit. Rather than relying on one beneficiary (or buyer) to stump up to pay for everything (implicit bundling), which is inherently unfair, and won't be sustainable for them long term.

There is also the question of what we do for existing, but underperforming habitats, such as broadleaved woodland (an issue brilliantly raised by Lizzie Hulton- Harrop ). Forestry Commission figures suggest that almost half of existing woodland isn't being managed. Additionality rules usually mean that private finance struggles to support better management, preferring instead to fund woodland creation. Cracking this nut is key to restoration and enhancement.

To do this the government needs to take a lead - use the new ELM scheme to drive best practice in whole farm sustainability appraisals, funded through grants, and drive investment in monitoring and measurement systems to reveal the data on what is actually going on in the environment. In this way both the public and private funding systems will have better information to work with, to design better policy after each review, drop actions that don't deliver the outcomes targeted and, most interestingly, provide management-relevant information to those managing the land. The scale of demand available through ELM and Green Finance is game-changing, supporting our ecology and eco-tech sectors to train up, develop and deploy solutions to environmental monitoring that to date have always been deemed too expensive, or technically infeasible.

We need to hitch our land use system change trailer to the tech and AI tractor now in order to move quickly to outcomes-based reward systems to tackle the climatic and nature crises.

Defra's Environmental Quality Minister visits Spains Hall Estate

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 08:16:22 GMT

Rebecca Pow enjoys an in-depth tour of the estate

Spains Hall Estate welcomed Defra Minister Rebecca Pow to see first-hand the impacts of our beaver-led flood project and ambitious work to transition to a more sustainable land use system.

Minister Pow visited the 2019 beaver enclosure, marvelling at the speed and scale of the rodent-induced changes, and the abundance of water. Issues of payments in recognition of this type of ecosystem service provision were top of the agenda.

The group, which included of Minister Pow, Graham Verrier , Nicola Shearer , Matt Butcher and Richard Powell OBE CEnv then moved on to two new 50 acre beaver enclosures , nut agroforestry areas and future woodland creation zones. On route passing through areas earmarked for Biodiversity Net Gain under the Natural England BNG Credits Pilot which the estate has been part of since 2020.

Discussion centred around challenges for land managers and policy makers in bringing together the wide range of initiatives, incentives, regulations that come into play when delivering high-integrity, UK-based, multi-benefits land use schemes such as this.

Conflicting single-issue policy drivers and a continuing inability to aggregate environmental revenue streams over land, were acknowledged to be at odds with holistic and catchment-scale plans, such as those set out Defra's Plan for Water .

Data and evidence (along with proper resourcing) was identified as a key issue, with the estate's work alongside the Environment Agency, King's College London and others to measure and report outcomes explored. This and other possible avenues to migrate to outcomes-based environmental schemes for both public and private partners we considered by the group.

The Essex estate, covering 2000 acres near Saffron Walden, has been working with the Environment Agency since 2018 to test innovative approaches to flood risk reduction. Releasing beavers into a 10 acre woodland enclosure to help tackle flooding on the local village of Finchingfield. Since then the estate's work has expanded to a complete ecological masterplan, innovative agroforestry scheme, biodiversity net gain projects and Whole Farm Reservoir drought and flood report setting out the gains that can be made from a shift to sustainable land use.

A pioneering Whole Farm Reservoir modelling study, linking high and low flows modelling at a farm scale for the first time, reveals huge potential in the estate's soils, shallow groundwater, ditches and beaver wetlands. The Minister was able to see examples of what this can look like when visiting the 2019 beaver enclosure.

Fact-finding trip to nut growing region in France

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 08:09:01 GMT

Cutting edge research and centuries of experience on display

In the majestic Alpine region of Isère in France lies the heart of one of France's premier walnut growing regions. The high quality nuts produced here are protected under EU law as a

Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP) in the same way as Champagne. It was the perfect setting for the IX International Walnut and Pecan Symposium , hosted by the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) which brings together growers, processors and top level researchers to discuss latest developments, challenges and opportunities for the industry.

With sessions covering climate change, disease, new varieties, storage and processing the 4 day event culminated in a series of visits throughout the region.

Key takeaways for me included

The in-shell nut market on the continent is weakening as people reduce purchases of 'luxury' items.
In-shell consumption is a peculiarity of the European consumer, most other markets sell very little in-shell, preferring kernels and processed products.
Climate change is going to challenge existing grows where irrigation water is key to productivity
New areas are being developed to grow walnuts, including in regions previously considered sub-optimal (such as the UK, in line with a general northward shift). But the main growing regions are still far more developed.
Pests and diseases continue to challenge growers, particularly where pesticide approvals are being withdrawn. Cultural and bio-control methods are being actively researched, but feel a good way behind arable crop research (from what I could tell).
Government supported research, and advisor-led outreach to growers, is a major part of the success of the industry - developing new varieties in response to grower demands.

What is clear is that the French value their nut industry incredibly highly, putting millions into research and development as well as showcasing the rich and long traditions that form the bedrock of today's systems. We can learn a great deal from our neighbours and colleagues in the nut world, as our own domestic industry begins to grow to meet local demand and healthy eating trends.

Last year we also attended the X International Congress on Hazelnut in Oregon, US. It was a similarly inspiring week, and eye-opening in terms of the scale and value of the hazelnut industry globally. Again the research and development work going on in Corvalis was particularly impressive, proving growers with insights and new varieties since the mid 1960s.

However, what is clear from both conferences is that there are major challenges ahead - climate change, water availability, pesticide availability and growing competition from other emerging growing regions globally means new approaches and varieties are going to be key. It is great to see such time and effort being put into developing these, but the UK lags far behind. Perhaps it's time we invested in our domestic production systems in a similar way?

New study reveals farm winter water storage can ease summer drought

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 16:43:31 GMT

‘Whole farm reservoir’ approach at Spains Hall estate could store millions of litres per hectare in soil

Funded by the Environment Agency and Essex & Suffolk Water, a team of ecologists and hydrologists from Atkins (working alongside Spains Hall Estate manager Archie Ruggles-Brise) carried out a first-of-a-kind study over six months at the Essex estate, to identify zones across the landscape that could be used for storage of rainfall and river water.

The study looked at issues of both too much, and too little, water in a working agricultural setting. The approach, dubbed the “whole farm reservoir” concept could provide huge benefits not only for the farming industry and ecology of the landscape, but also public water supply and flood risk. And early results reveal the potential to store millions of litres of water per hectare in the soil.

Atkins and the Spains Hall Estate have now released a report detailing the work, which will be open source published and provides a blueprint for how farm-scale nature-based solutions can help tackle two of the biggest challenges of climate change – increasing water shortage due to hotter summers and reducing the risk of flooding during winter storms.

Emily Brown, environmental scientist at Atkins, said: “Spains Hall Estate wanted to find a way to store rainfall and high river flows, in a way that was compatible with their overarching ecological masterplan, whilst continuing its pioneering work to help protect a local village from flooding.

“The results of the initial study were extremely encouraging with a 5-10% increase in river flows during the summer months, where there would normally be drought. In winter, the measures could lower the risk of local flooding by between 15-30%.

“We took the approach that if you treat the whole farm as a reservoir, you could identify elements and zones in the landscape that could store water and, with the proper management, release that water when it is most needed.

“This included looking at the patterns of river flows and rainfall throughout the year, as well as traditional farm ponds and shallow aquifers - the gravel seams beneath the surface act like natural sponges for the landscape.

“The work we’ve carried out at Spains Hall Estate is an approach that could be rolled out across the country to provide greater resilience in the UK’s water supply and flood risk management efforts, through the use of nature-based solutions on farms.”

Archie Ruggles-Brise, estate manager at Spains Hall Estate said: “We have been aware of the issues of too much and too little water for many years. As we started our transition to a more sustainable land use model it became clear that we needed to quantify the water impact of our planned changes, alongside biodiversity, food production and carbon.

“Numbers are key, if we want to optimise our system to benefit the farm and the wider environment we need to know which actions are likely to have the greatest reward. We need those numbers to engage with other sectors, without them farms are too easily discounted as irrelevant by drought and flood professionals.

“The results are incredible. With the potential to store between 6-10 million litres of water per hectare in our soils, adding a measurable amount to both summer river flows and winter flood risk reduction it shows this is something we should be doing now.

“The next step is to find partners to work with us to plan and deliver these changes, to quickly move beyond theory and into practice.”

For a copy of the report go to https://www.spainshallestate.co.uk/water

Listen to Archie on Top Rated Planet Possible podcast

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 15 May 2023 10:15:13 GMT

Niki and co-host Alastair Chisholm head to Spains Hall Estate in north Essex to meet Archie Ruggles-Brise and explore some of his innovative approaches to managing the land – and water – across the estate

Teaser for Planet Possible Season finale

Join us for the Season Finale of the pod and our first on-location episode! Niki and co-host Alastair Chisholm head to Spains Hall Estate in north Essex to meet Archie Ruggles-Brise and explore some of his innovative approaches to managing the land – and water – across the estate. Listen as we explore the estate, hear about the approaches to natural flood management, biodiversity net gain, natural capital agroforestry and topped off with a visit to one of the beaver lodges.

You can find out more about the work of Spains Hall Estate here: https://www.spainshallestate.co.uk/environment

Find out more about becoming a member of CIWEM here: https://www.ciwem.org/membership/

New beavers released in Essex as ground-breaking Natural Flood Management programme expands

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 14:01:16 GMT

Today, another four Eurasian beavers have been released into two brand new 50-acre enclosures on the Spains Hall Estate in Finchingfield, Essex as part of a ground-breaking Natural Flood Management Scheme.

Spains Hall Estate, a privately owned estate covering 2,000 acres of north Essex in England, first reintroduced Eurasian beavers (which had previously been extinct in England since the early 16 ^th century) in 2019, with the help of the Environment Agency, as a way of reducing flood risk to the village of Finchingfield, increasing drought resilience, clean water and creating year-round habitat for wildlife.

Since then, the beavers have had three sets of kits and have used their natural engineering skills to transform a woodland into a thriving wetland. The dams, which the beavers have created from locally felled trees, sticks, stones and mud, have played a crucial role in reducing flood risk in the area by slowing down the river flow and diverting it through new channels and wetlands.

As a result of the success of the project, the estate has expanded the project by building two new enclosures along the Finchingfield Brook which measure 1.9km long and cover 40 hectares (100 acres) - 10 times the size of the original enclosure.

This unprecedented £350,000 scale-up is jointly supported by a unique public and private partnership which includes Anglian Water, the Environment Agency, the Anglian Eastern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC), Essex County Council and Essex and Suffolk Water.

This ground-breaking project is the first of its kind in East Anglia and is part of a wider scheme to repurpose the land of the estate towards a more environmentally sustainable future that can deliver cleaner more plentiful water, help wildlife recover and boost climate resilience in the area .

Over time, the beavers will help make the Finchingfield area better equipped to cope with the challenges climate change will bring, and all the while providing inspiration and experience that others can use elsewhere. This innovative partnership will support local communities by not only reducing their risk of flooding, but also by establishing a link to the natural world and creating a landscape not seen in East Anglia for over 400 years.

Archie Ruggles-Brise, Estate Manager at Spains Hall Estate said, “Thanks to the incredible support of our partners, we are thrilled to be expanding our natural flood management programme and welcoming more beavers onto the estate. This is one of the many ways we are pushing boundaries of what can be done on private land, and we hope to be an inspiration and example to others who can do replicate our work to help make farming more sustainable and environmentally friendly.”

Matt Butcher, Environment Agency said “The Environment Agency have been a proud partner of this project for the last five years , so it has been really exciting to see how the beavers have engineered their environment by building dams, slowing the flow and holding up water to reduce the risk of flooding downstream. The complex habitat they have created along the way is amazing and improving all the time, which makes this a real win-win for people and wildlife. We are excited to see the benefits this latest expansion brings.”

Dr Robin Price, Director of Quality and the Environment for Anglian Water said: “As unpredictable weather conditions become a more frequent occurrence, finding nature-based solutions to problems such as flooding and drought, has never been more important. Restoring natural habitat in such a purposeful way is at the heart of Anglian Water’s Get River Positive commitment and we are proud to be supporting the next stage of Archie’s vision for Spains Hall Estate.”

Cllr Peter Schwier, Climate Czar at Essex County Council said “It’s been inspiring to see the natural engineering skills of the Essex beavers gradually transform habitats into wetlands, increasing biodiversity, which helps to reduce flooding in a low cost, natural environmentally friendly way. This supports the Council’s ambitious climate actions and our Everyone’s Essex Strategy by helping to reduce flooding and protecting our communities.”

Tom Harris, Catchment Advisor at Essex & Suffolk Water , said: “It’s been incredible to see how the beavers at Spains Hall Estate not only create, but also maintain their wetlands on the estate, ensuring the benefits they provide to biodiversity and the local community is ongoing. This is the definition of a living, working landscape and over the life of the existing enclosure it’s clear we have seen some really tangible benefits to this approach. Today marks the start of something even bigger and we’re excited and privileged to be able to continue working with the fantastic team at Spains Hall Estate and our partners, to see the full potential of this project as part of a much wider suite of ambitious interventions the estate is planning to deliver for the environment.”

Richard Powell, Chair of the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee said “I am delighted as Chair of the Anglian Eastern RFCC to support phase two of the Spains Hall Estate beaver project. The beavers are a great example of Natural Flood Management and have done a huge amount to help protect Finchingfield from flooding. Natural processes in a water course are economically and environmentally beneficial, and the team at Spains Hall Estate, with the help of all the partners, have done a great job in making this work for the community. I wish them every success for the second phase of the project and look forward to working with them going forward.”

Free tours as part of the Agroforestry Open Weekend

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 15:09:36 GMT

Look round our agroforestry system

Over Agroforestry Open Weekend 2023 we will be open Friday 19th and Saturday 20th May. We will be running guided walking tours of the agroforestry system each day. Booking is essential.

Book here: https://spainshallpartnership.checkfront.co.uk/#38

Find other sites to visit during the Open Weekend here

Spains Hall Estate trials biodegradable tree shelters

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:15:00 GMT

Vigilis Tree Shelters provide Spains Hall Estate with nearly 1,000 plastic-free biodegradable tree shelters

As part of the estates aspiration to be more environmentally sustainable across all our operations, we have partnered with Vigilis Tree Shelters , the leading designer and manufacturer of biodegradable tree shelters.

Vigilis Tree Shelters, who are based in Finchingfield, have provided Spains Hall Estate with nearly 1,000 plastic-free biodegradable tree shelters for our latest agro-forestry project.

The estate is currently transforming 300 hectares of farmland an ‘ alley-cropping ’ system by planting 10,000 nut and timber trees over a five-year period. Lines of trees will be planted within arable and grazing fields to produce food products and timber for the decades to come. Between the lines of trees, grassland, herbal leys and wildlife mixes will be established that support biodiversity, build soil health, sequester carbon, trap and clean water and help mitigate drought.

The Vigilis-Bio tree shelters have been designed to have all the benefits of a traditional tree shelter, whilst being 100% soil biodegradable. They are made from a special blend of bio-based derivatives including potatoes, wood and corn and a custom biodegradable polymer. The product creates a micro-climate inside the shelter, accelerating growth of the young tree and advancing the first harvest. Vigilis-Bio tree shelters provide a minimum of five years of tree protection and following this, it may take a further two years to be fully absorbed and incorporated into the natural environment. All that remains after this period is biomass, water and minerals that feed soil bacteria and microbes.

Archie Ruggles-Brise, Estate Manager at Spains Hall Estate said, “It’s great to have the opportunity to trial Vigilis’ biodegradable tree shelters on our new walnut and oak trees. The fact they are a local company is even better! It’s paramount that we use more sustainable products such as these on our estate as part of our nature-first approach to land management.”

John Warner, CEO at Vigilis Tree Shelters, said, “We’re thrilled to supply our biodegradable Vigilis-Bio tree shelters to Spains Hall Estate, a local estate near our headquarters in Finchingfield. We are delighted to be able to educate visitors to the estate about the benefits and functionality of biodegradable tree shelters and the importance of transitioning towards a plastic-free forestry industry. Visitors will be able to see the process of embrittlement, fragmentation and biodegradation of the tree shelters over a five-year period.”

First trees in pioneering agroforestry project planted at Spains Hall Estate

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 15:42:12 GMT

Lines of widely spaced walnut and oak trees will be planted within arable and grazing fields to produce food products and timber for decades to come

This week, the first nut trees were planted at Spains Hall Estate as its new pioneering agroforestry scheme kicks off.

As part of its nature-first approach and repurposing the land towards a more environmentally sustainable future, Spains Hall Estate is currently transforming 300 hectares of farmland into an ‘alley-cropping’ system by planting around 10,000 nut and timber trees over a five-year period. This year, nearly 400 walnut trees and 1,200 oak trees will be planted as part of the programme.

Lines of widely spaced walnut and oak trees will be planted within arable and grazing fields to produce food products and timber for decades to come. Between the lines of trees, grassland, herbal leys and wildlife mixes will be established that support biodiversity, build soil health, sequester carbon, trap and clean water and help mitigate drought.

The nut trees, which will take five to ten years to reach maturity, will be grown as far as possible without using fertiliser or pesticides to minimise harm to the soil or wildlife. Once they start to produce nuts, which should begin a few years after being planted, the trees will be harvested annually using specialised machinery and subsequently processed into marketable products such pressed nut oils, roasted nuts, crushed nuts and whole nuts which will be sold to the food industry.

The nut trees will remain productive for up to 50 years, at which point they will be cut down and used for timber. New trees will then be planted and the whole process starts again.

Archie Ruggles-Brise, Estate Manager at Spains Hall Estate said “The estate is moving some of our land away from growing annual crops such as wheat and barley, and towards an approach that seeks to produce food in greater harmony with the environment. We are aiming to establish one of the largest agroforestry systems in the UK – something we are very excited about. Agroforestry focuses on long-term sustainable solutions which benefit the land, wildlife and local communities – all of which we are passionate about here at Spains Hall Estate. We hope to inspire many other landowners to follow a similar method of farming to protect our environment for future generations to come.”

Spains Hall Estate invests in new electric off-road vehicle

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 08:45:38 GMT

Grant helps estate switch to low carbon UTV

Spains Hall Estate, the 2,000-acre estate near Braintree, has recently invested in the ‘Beast’ - Electric Wheels new All Terrain Utility Vehicle (UTV) - thanks to funding from Low Carbon South East ( LoCase ) and Braintree District Council.

As part of Spains Hall Estate’s commitment to repurposing its land to a more environmentally sustainable future, the estate is leading the transition away from fossil fuel powered agricultural machinery towards using electric vehicles.

‘The Beast’ is Electric Wheels ' largest and most powerful 4x4 electric vehicle with speeds of up to 37 mph, a 57-mile range and five and a half hours of charge time. This robust, multi-use and versatile vehicle is suited to tackle impressive inclines, tow heavy loads and carry up to four passengers in comfort.

Purchasing the new electric vehicle was made possible by a generous grant from Low Carbon South East (LoCase) , a partnership programme which runs across the South East of England, supported by the European Regional Development Fund. LoCase helps businesses achieve the dual aim of protecting the environment and encouraging low carbon solutions as well as increased profitability.

Archie Ruggles-Brise, Estate Manager at Spains Hall Estate said,

“At Spains Hall Estate we pride ourselves in our nature-first approach and are passionate about redefining land management by transforming traditional agricultural farming into a bio-diverse and sustainable habitat. As part of this, our ambition is to move towards electric power across our whole vehicle fleet. We have been delighted with ‘The Beast’s capacity, power, and comfort. It allows us to haul around heavy loads, go anywhere we want and transport visitors such as funders, partners, and other VIPs on estate and beaver tours. It’s a vehicle which reflects our own beliefs about sustainability and it’s great that it’s one of the first to be put into action in Braintree District.”

Chris Hurdle at Electric Wheels said,

“When Spains Hall Estate approached Electric Wheels about our vehicles we wanted to ensure they got the right vehicle for their needs. We lent Archie a couple of different models to try, but after a month it was clear he needed something more robust which had a large pulling power. The ‘Beast’ is the largest and most powerful vehicle we do – it does everything a diesel machine does and more. With zero emissions, our all-electric vehicles are aimed at those who are looking to make a more environmentally informed choice, whilst meeting the performance demands required of utility vehicles.”

Cllr Wendy Schmitt, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and The Environment Braintree District Council said,

“This is another great example of how Archie Ruggles-Brise and Spains Hall Estate are embracing different methods on how to reduce their carbon footprint to help tackle climate change. It’s always exciting to hear about the fantastic work that is being done on the estate. First it was the introduction of beavers to build natural dams as part of a flood management programme and now it’s the Beast! We are very proud to have a local landowner in our district who is so passionate about protecting our natural environment. Archie is also a valued member of the Council’s Climate Change Working Group and always contributes in a positive way with his advice and knowledge on land and estate management issues. If your business is looking to invest in new technology to help decrease your impact on the environment, or if you would like to access advice and support on a whole range of business issues please contact the economic development team at Braintree District Council ecodev@braintree.gov.uk .”

Spains Hall Estate launches new educational partnership

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 15:48:55 GMT

Rewilding grant enables Wilderness Foundation & Spains Estate link up

Spains Hall Estate has been awarded £15,000 by Rewilding Britain to run educational, nature based, outdoor therapy programmes for local schools and community groups on the estate.

Working in partnership with The Wilderness Foundatio n, the programme, which is due to start in 2023, will be run out of a nature-based camp on the estate and will provide educational lessons about the work the estate does including sustainable agriculture, natural flood management (including our ground-breaking beaver project), agro-forestry and rewilding.

Spains Hall Estate has been chosen as part of seven rewilding projects across Britain to receive Rewilding Britain’s Rewilding Innovation Fund. The new fund awards financial backing to locally led land and marine rewilding projects countrywide. It focuses on rewilding projects that have a strong community element or are working towards improving people’s health and wellbeing.

This latest project is part of the Spain Hall Estate’s wider vision to redefine land management by transforming traditional agricultural farming into a bio-diverse and sustainable habitat.

Archie Ruggles-Brise, Estate Manager at Spains Hall Estate said “We are delighted to have the support and financial backing from Rewilding Britain as well as the expertise from The Wilderness Foundation to run this unique educational and wellbeing programme. We hope this it will be of huge benefit to children and young people all over Essex and help them reconnect with nature, learn more about the environment and sustainable farming whilst having lots of fun in the fresh air.”

For more information and to sign up to one of our wilderness therapy sessions visit our dedicated page .

Two new “dam” good beaver enclosures to be built thanks to funding from ground-breaking Environmental partnership

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 19:01:41 GMT

Environmental partnership comes together to fund £350,000 for second part of ground breaking project

A Eurasian beaver family will be getting new neighbours to help protect an additional stretch of Finchingfield Brook. The Essex project is to build two, new, 50-acre enclosures in preparation for more beaver families. The new arrivals will extend the amazing work of their cousins, introduced to the Estate in 2019, who have already transformed a woodland into a thriving wetland. The unprecedented £350,000 scale-up is jointly supported by Anglian Water, the Environment Agency, the Anglian Eastern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC), Essex County Council and Essex and Suffolk Water in an innovative partnership funding approach.

The two new enclosures, along the Finchingfield Brook, will measure 1.9km long cover 40 hectares (100 acres),10 times the size of the original enclosure, which was built in 2019. Preparations for the project are already underway with two new beaver families expected to be re-introduced in Spring 2023.

Archie Ruggles-Brise, Spains Hall Estate manager said :

“The chance to bring more natural engineering skills to the estate is beyond exciting. Since 2019 we’ve seen what beavers can do to reduce flood risk, increase drought resilience, clean water and create year-round habitat for wildlife. Now, thanks to the incredible support of our partners, we can supersize these benefits.

“With a massive new area to work in the beavers will help make the Finchingfield area more able to weather the changes climate change will bring, and all the while providing inspiration and experience that others can use elsewhere. For the estate this means we can keep pushing the boundaries of what can be done on private land, if you are willing to be open about working with others and offer a compelling vision.”

Acting as nature’s engineers, the beavers have helped to completely transform the landscape around them. The dams have played a crucial role in reducing flood risk in the area by slowing down the river flow and channelling it through new channels and wetlands.

Throughout this year’s drought, the dams also helped the river flows by slowly releasing retained water, helping to protect local wildlife. We hope these new beavers settle in and breed as successfully as the original pair, who produced three sets of kits.”

Environment Agency lead on the project Matt Butcher said :

“It’s great to see this project go from strength to strength providing real benefits to the local environment and community.

“The beavers have shown what effective flood engineers they are in the past few years and it’ll be great to extend this to a wider area.”

Dr Robin Price, Director of Quality and the Environment for Anglian Water said :

“The effects of climate change including the risk of drought and flooding are felt more keenly in the East of England more than anywhere else in the UK. We need to find new and better ways of dealing with the challenges they bring while continuing to protect homes and businesses– and what better way to approach the problem of flooding here in Finchingfield than this wonderful, nature-based solution.

“Restoring natural habitat in such a purposeful way is also at the heart of Anglian Water’s Get River Positive commitment and we are proud to be supporting the next stage of Archie’s vision for Spains Hall Estate.”

Cllr Peter Schwier, Climate Czar at Essex County Council said :

“Essex County Council has been involved in the Essex Beaver project from the very beginning, providing administrative assistance and advice on water courses, so we are very pleased this project is proving so successful.

“Our work with all partners involved in this project means we are improving space and habitat for wildlife, while at the same time the work of the beavers is mitigating flooding, two of the key priorities contained in the Everyone’s Essex Green Infrastructure Strategy.

“Beavers are productive and useful and an honour to have in the beautiful Essex countryside.”

Richard Powell, Chair of the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee said :

“We are once again delighted to be part of the estate’s work, using flood risk funding to deliver nature based solutions is in all our interests. This project will deliver so much more than reduced flooding, creating invaluable wetland habitat as an oasis in the East Anglian landscape.”

Tom Harris, Catchment Advisor at Essex & Suffolk Water said :

“We’re delighted to be able to support the next phase of this exciting project, expanding significantly on the good work that the beavers have already carried out, turning their areas of the Estate into wild wetlands – providing huge benefits for biodiversity as well as slowing the flow in the catchment.

“Having the Spains Hall estate situated in one of our key raw water catchments has given us a fantastic opportunity to develop our ongoing work with catchment landowners, bringing multiple benefits for water quality, the local environment and their businesses. We are truly looking forward to the continuation of our partnership with the fantastic team at Spains Hall.”

ITV Reporter has dawn encounter with beaver kits

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 18:04:04 GMT

Hannah Pettifer celebrates project win AND new additions

National award for 'magical' Essex beaver project as third set of new babies arrive

Hannah Pettifer arrived before dawn to catch the first glimpse of the new arrivals to this award-winning beaver family.

Watch the ITV Anglia piece here

Beaver NFM project WINS prestigious national environmental award

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 13:50:00 GMT

CIEEM Awards Spains Hall Estate's partnership project national award

We are stunned to have WON the prestigious CIEEM Award for Best Practice – Small Scale Nature Conservation in 2022. CIEEM, the ecological professional body, recognises stand out project and organisations annually in a high profile event in London in June.

Jamie and Archie were delighted to receive the Award on behalf of the Estate, Essex Wildlife Trist, Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust and Environment Agency.

Beaver NFM project shortlisted for prestigious environmental award

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 08:38:00 GMT

CIEEM shortlist the estate's project for 2022 Award

We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the prestigious CIEEM Awards 2022 . CIEEM, the ecological professional body, recognises stand out project and organisations annually in a high profile event in London in June.

Wish us luck on the big day...

Read our response to the beaver consultation

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 17:31:05 GMT

Concerns raised over funding and licencing hurdles for future beaver projects

As the first beaver release site in East Anglia we have responded pragmatically and constructively to Defra's beaver consultation.

Click here to read what we said

FWAG East catch up with Archie for a Beaver Podcast

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 13:46:28 GMT

Beavers In Essex - FWAG East In Conversation With Archie Ruggles-Brise

Beavers are back in East Anglia and they are here to stay. The challenge for government and land managers alike is ensuring we enable the huge potential of these giant semi-aquatic rodents to deliver benefits for biodiversity and flood mitigation, while minimising the potential for human: beaver conflict. Jilly McNaughton of FWAG East discusses this and more with Archie Ruggles-Brise - the man who first brought the beaver back to East Anglia.

Live pictures from the beaver enclosure

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 20:28:09 GMT

Timelapse images of the beavers at work

Check out the latest image from our Meteor Communications automatic camera overlooking a beaver dam here: https://telemetry-data.com/latest-site-image?site=SHB001

Estate joins forces with local businesses to drive Covid recovery

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 09:25:56 GMT

Finchingfield Guild forms again after hundreds of years

Like many other businesses the recovery from successive lockdowns is a challenge for the Estate. However, we have joined forces with a growing number of local businesses to re-form the Finchingfield Guild, hundreds of years after it was last active.

With a wonderfully restored Guildhall in our midst it seemed an obvious step to fall back on that history and come together a group of traders sharing a passion - to promote what Finchingfield has to offer, help our businesses and the people they support bounce back stronger from the pandemic.

The first step is a website where you can find out 'What To Do, Where to Stay and Where to Eat & on a visit to ' The most photographed village in Essex'

Estate suggest new parking proposals for Finchingfield

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 17:45:39 GMT

Estate land could be used for residents and visitors parking

This post was originally published to Facebook here

Greetings All,

As you may have seen from the recent Parish Council Minutes we were approached by the Parish Council Parking Working Group to expand on some suggestions (not plans, just suggestions) we made in our response to the Parking Survey last year. We thank them for their time taken to engage with us. As a result of this process the Parish Council was presented with a brief outline concept that we agreed with the Parking Working Group.

The minutes are here: http://www.finchingfield-pc.gov.uk/.../minutes-2020... .

We thought it might be helpful to provide a little more detail on what has been suggested, not least as the meeting minutes are unable to go into much detail.

We stress these are just ideas we are willing to work up, not plans we have already put in motion. There is also no guarantee either or both options are viable as we are yet to do any significant exploratory work.

In summary, there are 2 areas where, in theory, we might be able to develop some additional parking, but only if there was support from both the Parish Council AND local community. To help everyone get a handle on the areas being talked about a rough map is attached to this post.

The two proposed parking ideas are independent of each other, so one or other, or both, could be further developed if the support and interest was there.

**Resident's Parking**

The Causeway, between Street Farm Barns and Duck End (the field next to the footpath that cuts through the grazing field to Spains Hall Road). (Red area on the map).

We could look at creating 7-9 nose in parking bays on the flat area at the top of this field. These would then be rented to residents by the Estate. The rest of the field would remain as it currently is, grazed/mown grass.

This proposal will only go ahead if;

1) the Parish Council are successful in placing double yellow lines along the Causeway, so preventing other vehicles from parking across these bays and blocking residents paying for the spaces in/out; and

2) If local residents express some desire to rent these spaces from the Estate so that we can cover the cost of developing and maintaining them and make a small annual profit.

**Summer Temporary car park**

Riverside Meadow, Spains Hall Road (orange area on the map).

We have suggested that the Estate could, at our own cost, develop a grass surface, summer only (probably Easter-September) paid car park on this field for anyone who wishes to use it, but mainly targeted at visitors to reduce congestion in the village centre.

The vehicle entrance/exit would be on Spains Hall Road almost opposite Finchingfield Holiday Cottages. Pedestrians could use the footpath through to the Causeway. The car park would be open to all vehicles, including motorbikes. It is envisaged that this car park would only be opened on pre-agreed set dates (such as weekends and Bank Holidays). These dates would tie in with parking restrictions in the village centre (see more detail below).

The profits from this car park would be retained by the Estate but with a donation based on an agreed profit share made to the Parish Council (this was at their suggestion and is something we support).

The Estate would have to do some work to the entrance gateway to make it more suitable, add a fee collection hut (manned at the Estate's expense when the car park is open) and possibly some works to level up some areas of the field.

However, the field would remain predominantly grazing/agricultural. The footpath through the field would remain unaffected and unobstructed. We may also consider adding a temporary toilet facility if demand was sufficient to cover the cost.

In 2021 we have suggested to the Parking Working Group that if they are able to secure parking restrictions and enforcement on set days this summer then we could open this field for parking for a limited trial period (a few days/weekends etc) to see how it works.

If the field was unsuitable for vehicle use (for example after heavy rain/flooding) then the car park would be closed.

This proposal will only go ahead in the longer term if;

1) the Parish Council are successful in securing support from the authorities to roll out scheduled, patrol enforced, parking restrictions in the village centre on days when the grass car park is due to open. If this isn't possible then there is simply no point operating a paid car park when people can park for free elsewhere.

2) If local residents don't wish to see this car park happen then we certainly aren't going to become embroiled in an argument, so will withdraw the suggestion and do something else with the field.

I hope this adds some detail to the concepts we have put forward and please feel free to voice your support (or otherwise) before we go much further down the line of incurring time and cost investigating the viability of either option.

If you would prefer to contact us privately then please feel free to email enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk

Many thanks for your attention in making it to the end of what is a rather long post!

Archie

Then and now - how the beaver enclosure has changed

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 15:20:12 GMT

Check out how the beavers have changed their surroundings

Click the image above to visit the interactive slider on our Beaver and NFM project webpage

Job Vacancy

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 09:12:00 GMT

Full time position

Assistant Estate Worker

Full time, initial 12-month contract. Salary National Living Wage depending on age, experience and qualifications.

Full time with occasional weekends, 28 days holiday (inc Bank Holidays). Employer contributing pension scheme (NEST)

The role is for an assistant Estate worker, a role that combines both practical estate maintenance and ecology skills. Work will involve use of machinery, tractors, hand & power tools to carry out maintenance and repairs on our properties, woodlands, and other projects. Some out of hours call -out work will be required.

Closing date for applications: Thursday 25th February 2021

Full job description available on our website www.spainshallestate.co.uk/jobs

Apply by email with covering letter explaining why you fit the Job Description to enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk

Flooding 14th Jan 2021

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 16:04:46 GMT

Drone photos reveal heavy rain impacts

We hope everyone has stayed safe today (14th Jan 2021) despite the very high water. We really do hope no one has suffered from flooding in their homes or businesses.

We lent a hand to the Parish Council as they were unclogging the pond gates this morning and since then we've been out keeping an eye on the water throughout the farm and in the beaver enclosure. It's as high as we've seen it, for at least the last 20 years or so.

Here are some photos and a bit of explanation of what we saw in the captions.

Check out the original Facebook post and comments here

Our partners at Kings College London have reported the raw data from the flood event on Twitter - check it out above.

To read more about the Natural Flood Management project, and our wonderful beavers, visit the project web page www.spainshallestate.co.uk/nfm_beavers

Name the baby beavers

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 10:30:24 GMT

Your chance to name our 2 beaver kits

Like all new parents Woody and Willow, our Eurasian beaver mum and dad, are struggling to find names for their babies. Can you help?

Head over to our Facebook page or Twitter profile help name the beaver kits.

If you would like to come and see them for yourself you can, just book onto one of our Guided photography sessions with Russell Savory.

Beaver kits born

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 10:22:59 GMT

Woody & Willow welcome 2 baby beavers!

We are delighted to say that our beaver pair, Woody and Willow, have had 2 wonderful kits (baby beavers). This is the first time Eurasian Beavers have bred in East Anglia for over 400 years. It is testament to how well the pair have settle din that they have produced offspring. Now we wait to see how the kits adapt to their home and, excitingly, what impact have four fantastic builders will do the already extensive wetland habitat they enjoy.

If you would like to come and see them for yourself you can, just book onto one of our Guided photography sessions with Russell Savory.

Beaver -versary Event -postponed

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 08:22:33 GMT

Celebration event postponed

**POSTPONED** - Beaver-versary tours and celebration.

It is with great sadness that we have taken the difficult decision to postpone this Saturday’s event to celebrate the Anniversary of the #EssexBeaver release. The reason will be clear to you all and whilst the UK is not yet in the grip of an Italy-style lock down it feels inappropriate to be encouraging such a large proportion of our local community to gather together at such at time. We have 75 people signed up to the tours and many more saying they will come to the day. In a community of this size we feel that represents a significant potential risk to those who are more vulnerable in our village.

We hope that, once the current situation has passed or become clearer, we will have an opportunity to reschedule the event later in the year.

Thank you all once again for all your interest in the project. Indeed the results that have been pulled together from the first year of the project will be enhanced by further data.

Please can you pass on news of the cancellation to anyone you may have told or invited to the event.

Archie Ruggles-Brise

Job Vacancy

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 17:25:42 GMT

Full time position

Closing date for applications: 12pm 5th March 2020

Full job description available on our website www.spainshallestate.co.uk/jobs

Apply by email to enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk or email to schedule an informal chat about the role.

5* reviews mount up on TripAdvisor

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 15:18:08 GMT

Beaver tours a hit - say TripAdvisor reviewers

After a busy summer of tours to spread the word about natural flood management and our wonderful #essexbeavers we are delighted to start receiving reviews from the lovely people on TripAdvisor.

Check them out for yourself here

Weekend beaver photography experience

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 11:24:35 GMT

Guided 2 night trip, with nocturnal infra-red session

Weekend of guided beaver and wildlife photography with Russell Savory

A wonderful personalised beaver experience, with guided wildlife watching and photography training sessions centred around the first beaver reintroduction site in East Anglia. See how the beavers are transforming the landscape, creating habitat for a myriad of other species. Learn about their habitat and then experience it for yourself, capturing once-in-a-lifetime images to take away.

Find out more

Kids go free on Beaver tour

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 15:26:00 GMT

13th August 2019 - Summer Holiday special offer

***SPECIAL SUMMER HOLIDAYS OFFER***

KIDS GO FREE ON THIS TOUR - 13th August 2019 only

Ages 5 and up only. Max 3 children per Full price Adult booking

Max 2 adults, 6 children per booking

Book individual tickets to join a general tractor & trailer tour of the beaver enclosure and natural flood management project. (Approx distance 2 miles)

The tour will depart from Dairyley Farm and take in rough, wet and uneven ground so wellington boots and waterproof clothing are essential. Due to the terrain and the trailer we have we are sorry but these tours are not suitable for those with reduced mobility.

Weekend #essexbeaver tour dates announced

Fri, 03 May 2019 15:40:12 GMT

Sunday tour dates added

We are delighted to announce that two weekend dates have been added to our public #essexbeaver and flood project tours

Sunday 2nd June (2-4pm)
Sunday 14th July (2-4pm)

Book your place online at https://spainshallpartnership.checkfront.co.uk/reserve/

Beavers released on Spains Hall Estate

Sat, 16 Mar 2019 10:02:03 GMT

A pair are back in Essex after an absence of 400 years

After 18 months planning, and a lot of hard work from the whole project team a key part of the Slow the Flow Finchingfield jigsaw fell into place this week with the release of a pair of Eurasian Beavers into an enclosure on the Estate.

The two beavers will build dams within the woodland to hold back floodwaters, clean it, and release it slowly again during times of drought. Their ponds will provide new habitats for all sorts of wildlife, including frogs, snails, dragonflies, ducks and much more!

Once the beavers have had time to settle in we will be offering tours and the chance to get up close and personal with these fantastic creatures in one of our wildlife photography hides .

Community flood to hear about project

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 18:07:09 GMT

A full hall assembled to learn about flood and beaver project at Spains Hall Estate

Over 80 people attended an information evening put on by the Slow the Flow Finchingfield project.

Speakers included Archie Ruggles-Brise who is coordinating the project on his land at Spains Hall Estate, Matt Butcher (Environment Agency - funders and technical experts), Jane Herbert (Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust - technical experts and funders), Darren Tansley (Essex Wildlife Trust - ecology expert). An exclusive wild beaver film by Russell Savory and Robin Lowry was also screened, with the filmakers on hand to give a behind-the scenes insight.

A lively question and answer session concluded the evening, with the local community in overwhelming support for the project aims.

Click here to view some of the information displayed and discussed

Archie Ruggles-Brise (Spains Hall Estate) - All about the project
Matt Butcher (Environment Agency) - Natural Flood Management, how and why it works
Jane Herbert (Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust) - Natural Flood Management in Suffolk
Darren Tansley (Essex Wildlife Trust) - Beavers and wildlife (Courtesy of the Devon Wildlife Trust - visit their website here )

A documentary crew is following the project for a year and will be visiting the area frequently to speak to the local community.

Open Evening for Flood and Beaver Project

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 13:52:10 GMT

6-8pm Tuesday 13th November 2018 - Finchingfield Village Hall

You are invited to a free open evening at Finchingfield village Hall on Tuesday 13th November 2018 to learn all about the ground-breaking natural flood management and beaver project at Spains Hall Estate.
Watch and exclusive film of wild UK beavers by renowned film-maker Russell Savory as well as hearing from experts from the Essex Wildlife Trust, Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust and Environment Agency.

It's a chance to ask questions, chat to the key people involved in the project and perhaps get your face on the telly as there will be a documentary film crew there on the night.

This is a free event and open to anyone, so come along for 6pm!

Summer shine

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 15:12:41 GMT

Time to get out and about?

As the summer continues the estate is looking amazing, with wildlife all over and a rapidly changing landscape of crops, nature and people. Come and visit us in the woodland hide , fishing or stay for a few nights .

Slowing the flow to protect Finchingfield

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 15:06:57 GMT

New project aims to reduce flooding

Spains Hall Estate, along with partners from the Environment Agency, Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust, Essex Wildlife Trust and Atkins have submitted plans to install water slowing measures upstream of Finchingfieild.

Scenes like these, with water threatening the village and properties of Finchingfield, are all too familiar to residents and businesses.

A new project has been designed, led by Archie at the Spains Hall Estate, to install small-scale flood reduction measures in the ditches and river flowing into Finchingfield. The hope being that heavy rains will be held back on eth estate allowing time for runoff frome th village and other land to pass through.

It's early days for the project, with funing bids in and licence applications in preparation but keep up to date with progress here .

If you have any questions on the project please contact us .

Amazing images at the woodland hide

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 18:35:28 GMT

Recent visitor Robert Bannister took these wonderful images at the Woodland Hide .
Thank you for sharing your day Robert!

Latest wildlife sightings

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 09:47:31 GMT

29th March 2018

Latest wildlife sightings

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 09:34:17 GMT

22nd March 2018

Glowing praise from returning guest

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 15:23:06 GMT

Attention to detail 1st rate! Customer care with the sincerity

Timothy has stayed in South, North and Crest Lodges over the years. Read what he said about them.

" We have stayed at each lodge and have been thoroughly pleased with every visit. The peaceful and quiet serenity is a dose of medicine that is good for all of us, and you will find it here.The attention to detail and levels of cleanliness will bring us back time again. We had the opportunity to meet the charming Ann who puts her heart into preparing each lodge before your visit. Thank you Archie for helping me with the arrangements for my remembrance wreath. I hate to rush time, but we are looking forward to our return trip."

Repeat guest loves North and South Lodge

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 10:57:46 GMT

Mid week stays are the perfect fit

We are always incredibly grateful when people come back to stay with us time and time again. Alex is one of our regulars who comes to get away from it all.

"Very quiet location but still within easy striking distance to London"

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 14:13:15 GMT

Canadian visitor rates South Lodge 5 stars

A recent visitor form Canada used South Lodge as a base to explore.

"The house we stayed in was the South Lodge which is well equipped and suitable for 2 couples or a family of 4. London is a 20 minute drive to the station in Braintree and then an hour by train to Liverpool Street Station. Also Cambridge is nearby as well as any number of quaint villages and places of interest."

Book a stay now for you and your family

North Lodge ideal for business

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 10:25:48 GMT

Guest returns to North Lodge with work colleagues

Gareth was once again in the area for work with some collegues and instead of opting for a characterless hotel he stayed in North Lodge. This is their second time staying with us and clearly the cottages provide exactly the sort of relaxing, comfortable and well-equipped base he is looking for.

"Excellent house in amazing surroundings. The house is clean, warm and very comfortable. Also fitted with a high end oven & showers are prefect. Cheers Archie and thanks again."

Why not stay with us for your business trip - home from home, private and confortable.

Fantastic cottage, very comfortable and a wonderful location

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 11:39:28 GMT

We had a fantastic revisit to this beautiful cottage on the edge of Finchingfield

5 star review for Crest Lodge!
Fantastic cottage, very comfortable and a wonderful location.
" We had a fantastic revisit to this beautiful cottage on the edge of Finchingfield. We were fortunate enough to get married at the church in the village then have our reception at Spain's Hall, this cottage was ours for our first night as a married couple, so it brought back many happy memories. Arranging this short stay was made very easy by the owners and they were very friendly and welcoming. The village itself is very picturesque with many lovely tea rooms, particularly the Greedy Duck. The pubs are good and there is a lovely little Italian restaurant in the heart of the village. A stay here is very worthwhile, we will certainly be returning next year."

Why not book your stay now?

It's official, our cottages are Excellent!

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 10:33:49 GMT

TripAdvisor awards Certificate of Excellence 2017

It is awalys wonderful to be recognised for the hard work you put in so we are over the moon to have been awarded a Certifcate of Excellence by TripAvisor for 2017.

We do our very best to make sure that everyone who comes to stay with us in our hidden corner of rural Essex has a comfortable, and relaxing time. Our guests always tell us it is the little things that make the difference, like the starter pack of breakfast ingredients, or having crisp white sheets to fall into at the end of a long day.

This is a huge boost to the whole team, but rest assured we will continue to strive for better in the years to come!

Clean, spacious and comfortable

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 12:33:40 GMT

5 stars for Crest Lodge from family

A recent guest in Crest Lodge left this review

" We stayed at Crest Lodge for 10 days and absolutely loved it. It was clean, spacious and very comfortable. Perfect for our family of four. Lots of very beautiful country walks and close to the picturesque village of Finchingfield."

Book your stay now

Crest Lodge is "Very nice" says guest

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 08:43:07 GMT

5 stars for Crest Lodge

A recent guest on Crest Lodge left this reviewon TripAdvisor complementing the cottage and saying how well equipped it is! Thank you!

" Crest Lodge is a very nice cottage in a wonderful landscape between lovely villages. The equipment of the cottage is good, we've missed nothing. We definitely recommend Crest Lodge to everyone who is looking for a relaxed time on countryside. Archie, many thanks also to the Spains Hall team, very nice area."

Book your stay now

AirBNB Guest recommends North Lodge

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 08:39:02 GMT

"Beautiful Cottage, Beautiful Surroundings"

A recent guest in North Lodge left this wonderful review on the AirBnB website:
" Beautiful cottage, beautiful surroundings, I had such a lovely few days and felt well rested. My 3 year old also loved the house, the garden and the horses in the field opposite. Very easy to deal with host and quick responses. I would definitely recommend."

Book your stay now

Latest wildlife sightings

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 15:58:58 GMT

16th August

Latest Wildlife Hide sightings
The list below is what we have seen, or what we have been told about. Clearly these are wild animals and birds so there's no guarentee they will stick around. Treat it as a guide as to what's active rather than a menu of potential shots! Our hides do have trail cams monitoring activity, but they can't always pick up the smallest birds, so chances are there's lots more in and around the hides that we know about.

August is a time for holidays and so it's been a little while since our last post! Harvest is in full swing and the number of hares around the farm has been incredible.

The hides are all in great condition so check out our availability and book now .

Woodland Hide
Pheastant
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Pidgeon
Brown Hare
Rabbits
Squrrels
Fallow deer (bucks, does and fawns)
Muntjac
Fox

Riverside Hide
Fallow deer (Bucks, does and fawns)
Buzzard (pair in the area)
Jays (family group though a couple of the fledglings appear to have moved on)
Magpie (still a frequent visitor, clearly knows where the easy food is!)
Great Spotted woodpecker
Pigeon (frequent visitor)

Barn Owl Hide
THis hide is now out of commission until next year.

Latest wildlife sightings

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 16:11:25 GMT

31st July

Latest Wildlife Hide sightings
The list below is what we have seen, or what we have been told about. Clearly these are wild animals and birds so there's no guarentee they will stick around. Treat it as a guide as to what's active rather than a menu of potential shots! Our hides do have trail cams monitoring activity, but they can't always pick up the smallest birds, so chances are there's lots more in and around the hides that we know about.

As you alreday know the weather over the last 10 days has been terrible, so we haven't seen as much as we would expect. That said some hardly souls managed some wonderful shots despite the difficult conditions. Check out our Facebook page for the images.

We have sessions vaailble from 14th August so check out our availability and book now .

Woodland Hide
Buzzard
Pheastant
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Pidgeon
Brown Hare
Rabbits
Squrrels
Black Cap
Fallow deer (does and fawns)
Muntjac
Fox

Riverside Hide
Fallow deer (Bucks)
Buzzard
Jays (family group)
Magpie (frequent visitor)
Great Spotted woodpecker
Pigeon (frequent visitor)
Blue tits
Great Tits
Heron
Fox

Barn Owl Hide
Barn Owl & Young (glimpse as they haven't fledged yet)
Goldfinch
Pied Wagtail
House sparrow
Pigeon
Brown Hare

Red Kite video

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 15:55:31 GMT

Short video showing a wild Red Kite at the Woodland wildlife photography hide

Check out this short video of a Red Kite at our Woodland Hide.

If you want to try capturing your own photos then book a session now .

What a charming place

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 11:24:35 GMT

North Lodge scores again in 5 star review

Armin said this about North Lodge...
" I stayed there with my disabled friend and both of us had the most amazing time. Not only was the cottage very comfortable, beautifully kitted out but also located in the middle of nowhere near Spains Hall but only 1.5 h drive from London. I was able to wheel my friend through some of the country lanes nearby, sit in the garden and all that because the North Cottage has a ground floor room with en suite. Not specifically kitted out for wheelchair users but we managed fine. Definitely will be back. Thank you Archie"

Book your stay now

A wonderful stay, thank you!

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 09:58:41 GMT

Crest Lodge guest raves in 5 star review

Louise R on TripAdvisor...

" A wonderful location and the cottage was beautifully furnished. Everything we could have needed was thoughtfully already provided which made our stay even more comfortable. I would definitely recommend Crest Lodge and now just need to think of an excuse to go back again!"

Book your stay now

Latest wildlife sightings

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 09:33:07 GMT

19th July

Latest Wildlife Hide sightings
The list below is what we have seen, or what we have been told about. Clearly these are wild animals and birds so there's no guarentee they will stick around. Treat it as a guide as to what's active rather than a menu of potential shots! Our hides do have trail cams monitoring activity, but they can't always pick up the smallest birds, so chances are there's lots more in and around the hides that we know about.

Woodland Hide
Red Kite (feeding on the ground, within 5m of the hide)
Pheastant
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Pidgeon
Brown Hare
Rabbits
Squrrels

Riverside Hide
Fallow deer
Buzzard
Jays (family group)
Magpie (frequent visitor)
Great Spotted woodpecker
Pigeon (frequent visitor)
Blue tits
Great Tits

Barn Owl Hide
No Owl sightings in the last few days but we can hear them after dark so they are still around.
Goldfinch
Pied Wagtail
House sparrow
Pigeon
Brown Hare

"Didn't want to leave" 5 star review

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 13:43:58 GMT

Lovely cottage in beautiful surroundings

A wonderful 5 star review from a guest via Owners Direct:
" Very well catered cottage with lovely furnishings, comfortable beds and peaceful location - I didn't want to leave!"

Book your stay now!

Crest Lodge "bright and cheery" 5 stars

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 11:24:29 GMT

Great quiet country home

We had three wonderful nights in this spacious cottage just a short walk from Finchingfield. The owners gave great attention to the traveller's needs with lovely welcome necessities. The house was bright and cheery during the day and cool during the nights. The excellent washer and dryer were a great bonus for this family travelling on a two plus week holiday. We loved our country walks and easy walk to town. In addition, just up the road there were two excellent CAMRA pubs. The cottage is in close proximity to Saffron Walden and an easy drive to Cambridge. I would highly recommend this cottage for the travelling family.

Book your stay now!

Latest wildlife sightings

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 08:48:35 GMT

14th July

Latest Wildlife Hide sightings
The list below is what we have seen, or what we have been told about. Clearly these are wild animals and birds so there's no guarentee they will stick around. Treat it as a guide as to what's active rather than a menu of potential shots! Our hides do have trail cams monitoring activity, but they can't always pick up the smallest birds, so chances are there's lots more in and around the hides that we know about.

Woodland Hide
Pheastant
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Pidgeon Brown Hare
Buzzard
Fallow deer
Muntjac deer

Riverside Hide
Fallow deer
Buzzard
Jays (famiily of 3), resident at the moment!
Magpie (frequent visitor)
Great Spotted woodpecker
Pigeon (frequent visitor)
Blue tits
Great Tits
Black cap

Barn Owl Hide - the owl has been activate after the rain, but mostly hunting on the wing rather than perching.
Pheasant
Muntjac

5 Star review for North Lodge

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 16:31:01 GMT

Private lodge house is a gem

"The house is situated on a quiet road, on its own. It's surrounded by countryside, but within easy walking distance of thre pretty village of Finchingfield for places to eat and drink. The house is very well appointed - the owners have thought of everything you're likely to need on a short break."

Book your stay now!

Crest Lodge "Beautiful little cottage in the Essex Countryside". Airbnb 5star review

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 08:44:19 GMT

Everything was perfect

This is a beautiful little cottage in the Essex country side. Everything was perfect and we loved every minute of our time at the place. It is set on a massive estate with plenty of nature around it. Thank you for a great stay.

Book your stay now

Kitchen scores 5 star food hygiene rating again

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:42:28 GMT

Braintree award the STables kitchen 5 star rating

We are delighted to have been awarded the perfect 5 star food hygiene rating once again for our Stables kitchen. Dine with confidence!

http://ratings.food.gov.uk/business/en-GB/300079/Spains-Hall-Spains-Hall-Road

Perfect celebratory weekend 5* review

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:19:45 GMT

What a find this was! Worth trawling the internet for!

Perfect celebratory weekend.

***** 5 stars

What a find this was! Worth trawling the internet for! We stayed here for our Anniversary/husband's birthday, ...and as it turned out, our daughter's promotion! What a beautiful cottage to stay and relax in. The cottage is very well-equipped with everything you need for a short or even longer stay. It was spotlessly clean and well appointed, the lounge comfy and cosy, as was the bedroom we selected for ourselves, and the whole house is light and airy. A 'welcome pack' that was more than expected and the fresh flowers on the dining table added a lovely touch. We had a really relaxing and enjoyable weekend, only leaving the cottage to walk down to the village and frequent the tea rooms and shop. ( Our favourite was the Picture Pot tea room where the staff are very welcoming ). We hope to return for a longer stay some time.

Great property in a good location

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 14:24:13 GMT

South Lodge... "Well appointed cottage"

Well appointed cottage with all the necessaries comforts. Walking distance to the village and nice views from the garden.

North Lodge is just perfect! *****

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 14:04:13 GMT

Everything you could wish for and more!

We booked North Lodge as a base for our daughter's wedding in Steeple Bumpstead and reception on their family farm in Cornish Hall End. From the seamless booking to excellent and helpful communication with Archie and then the home comforts and luxury of an exceptional stay we can only highly recommend. The bride and bridesmaids got ready at the lodge and everything was just perfect for them from the convenient high hook in the bedroom for the wedding gown to the post code that brought the florist straight to the door! Ample parking allowed for our cars and my daughter's Series 2A Landrover which she drove herself to the church in! Thank you for helping to make it a perfect stay and perfect wedding. My sister in law from Johannesburg, South Africa, who stayed with us, wished she could make it her permanent home! We will certainly be back and will highly recommend to others.

New Online Shop - open now

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 23 May 2017 14:47:30 GMT

Book fishing, horse riding or camping online in a few clicks

Everyone love the convenience and speed of buying online so we have upgraded our shop. Buy your fishing tickets, campsite pitches or horse riding passes in seconds at our new online shop .

Fishery closed for match 6-7th May

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 08:50:49 GMT

Saturday & Sunday 6-7th May - the fishery is closed for an exclusive booking

There are no day tickets available on Saturday 6th or Sunday 7th May due to an exclusive match booking. Day tickets are available as usual on Monday 9th may. Thank you!

Mucky Races 8th April 2017

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 07:42:03 GMT

No Event in April 2017, but watch this space...

It is with great sadness that we confirm that we have been unable to arrange any Mucky Races on the Estate at the moment. We always enjoyed welcoming bands of intrepid runners, and throwing you into the muddiest, wettest holes we could find. However, due to technical issues with the organisers we don't feel it is right to host an event in April.

Watch this space as we may bring cross country running back to Spains Hall Estate in the future...

In the meantime if you want to speak to us about holding your event on the Estate please contact us .

Fishery reopens

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 11:30:28 GMT

Fishing available from 1st April 2017

If you want to come and fish for carp and tench then we are delighted to announce that the fishery is open from today (1st April 2017).
Buy your tickets here

Mucky Races April 2017

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 11:11:05 GMT

No Event in April 2017, but watch this space...

Perfect, Cosy retreat, amidst stunning countriside

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 13:56:40 GMT

South Lodge is 5 stars and is a "total retreat if desired, close enough to large towns to explore all north Essex has to offer!"

Check out yet another 5 star review on Trip Advisor for our lovely little South Lodge!

Check out our video tour of North Lodge

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 14:41:50 GMT

See North Lodge in all it's glory in this new video

North Lodge is one of our 3 stunning holiday cottages and now, thanks to Adam at www.vidaveo.com you can see for yourself just how wonderful it is. Check out the video on our booking page www.spainshallestate.co.uk/north-lodge

"An excellent location for walking and exploring rural Essex"

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 10:29:10 GMT

"...all the modern conveniences you need"

"A delightful, peaceful cottage"

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 10:27:27 GMT

"Homely and welcoming feeling"

"Beautiful property"

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 10:25:59 GMT

"The bath is awesome!"

"High quality, cosy and beautifully decorated lodge"

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 10:24:16 GMT

5 out of 5 stars

"Fantastic House!" Crest Lodge review from AirBnB customer

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 09:16:32 GMT

"Crest Lodge was absolutely perfect for us"

Wonderful Experience

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 16:51:13 GMT

"One of the best cottages I have ever stayed in"

North Lodge receives yet another 5 star review on Trip Advisor! Thank you!

"The house is set in beautiful grounds, totally stunning. The cottage itself has been done out beautifully, it's very spacious. But the thing that really struck us was the attention to detail. Bread, milk, jams, cereals...the list goes on. Those little things make a world of difference and add to the stay. I can honestly say this is one of the best cottages I have ever stayed in and I've been to a few!"

"Excellent"

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 14:44:29 GMT

Absolutely beautiful, charming cottage

Perfect score for Crest Lodge on Trip Advisor, thank you!

Lovely period property in beautiful setting

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 14:41:28 GMT

North Lodge scores another 5* review

A very happy week's holiday and a chance to celebrate two birthdays. Perfect Mediterranean weather climaxed by dramatic thunderstorms. We really enjoyed the beauty of the area. The property's facilities are excellent, we enjoyed very good customer service during the booking process and the owners are very friendly and helpful. We would definitely recommend this to a friend or relative.

North Lodge - top of pops!

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 15:01:07 GMT

"Absolutely wonderful" wedding night

The new Mr and Mrs Hawkey completed their wedding day in style, retiring to North Lodge!

5 Stars again..."Lovely cottage in a beautiful setting"

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 14:59:19 GMT

"Delicious breakfast and stunning views"

We are delighted to have received another 5 star review on Trip Advisor - thank you!

To book your stay click here: https://www.spainshallestate.co.uk/essex-holiday-cottages

"Charming" - South Lodge review 5 stars!

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 14:12:53 GMT

Charming rural cottage with far-reaching views over countryside

jowestlondon just left us the most amazing TripAdvisor review of their stay on South Lodge. Check it out and then come and see for yourself!

https://www.spainshallestate.co.uk/essex-holiday-cottages

Finchingfield is a Top Essex Life Village

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 09:36:17 GMT

"Idyllic, old-world feel"

Essex Life this week has a great write up of Finchingfield as a fantastic place to visit and stay. Described as a 'secret gem' the village is a must see destination.
Book your stay with us today: https://www.spainshallestate.co.uk/essex-holiday-cottages

"Idyllic"

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 17:09:41 GMT

North Lodge is beautiful and comfortable

TripAdvisor reviewer EAE45 described their stay in North Lodge as " A beautiful and comfortable cottage equipped to a very high standard set in wonderful countryside, very peaceful. We were fortunate to be given a most interesting tour of Spains Hall which is magnificent. Run by excellent very helpful and efficient people. A wonderful and memorable four day break."

We are very grateful for such kind words and would love to welcome you back. Book your stay now!

South Lodge is perfect for exploring

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 17:07:31 GMT

Latest review on Owners Direct rates us 5*

Sorry, we can't always do anything about the weather but then again gardens do love a bit of rain!
Book your stay now.

South Lodge gets Top Score on Trip Advisor

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 17:01:56 GMT

5* is the verdict on Trip Advisor

Thank you for such a wonderful review, sorry we couldn't do anything about the Iceland match!
To find out more about South Lodge or book a stay for yourself click here .

North Lodge Scores 5 Stars on TripAdvisor!

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 16:58:07 GMT

A perfect TripAdvisor review for North Lodge

What a wonderful review of our holiday cottage North Lodge on Trip Advisor. Thank you!
If you would like to book a stay in North Lodge please click here to find out more , or contact us .

More ways to book your holiday

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 12:01:23 GMT

So many ways to book your next stay with us, chose from AirBnB, Owners Direct, Trip Advisor or direct!

We really want to welcome you to our wonderful holiday cottage sin the stunning part of north Essex where we live. So we have made it easier than ever.

You can now book through some of the worlds favourite travel websites including Trip Advisor, Airbnb , Owners Direct , TripAdvisor and not forgetting our very good friends at Mulberry Cottages . So what's stopping you? Use your favourite booking site, pick your date to come and enjoy all we can offer!

Don't forget that if you want to come direct to us you can. Pick up the phone and call +44 1371 811596 or drop us a line at enquiries@spainshall.co.uk

Camping & Caravanning - Dairyley Farm Spains hall

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Tue, 17 May 2016 10:58:01 GMT

The campsite deserves its classification of 'Hideaway'

Camping and caravanning truly is the answer to getting away from it all. What can be better than driving off to a beautiful part of the English countryside and getting to know it literally at grassroots level? Pitching your tent so you make the most of the serene sunrise or delightful dusk, or choosing a peaceful spot in which to unhook your caravan to best enjoy your surroundings; nothing can quite equal that setting up of home from home.

If you’re looking for a new campsite to explore, why not visit Spains Hall Estate near Finchingfield in Essex. For the very first time you can take the opportunity to experience the stunning grounds of an Estate boasting almost ten centuries of history, in a location only a stone’s throw from one of the county’s most picturesque villages. The site truly deserves its classification of ‘Hideaway’; tucked away in the 11th century Estate, which is listed in the Domesday Book, you will enjoy a tranquil and leisurely break in this charming spot.

Dairyley Farm at Spains Hall is open from April to October to members of the Camping and Caravanning Club. If you’re not already a member, you can either sign up here and then book with us, or join when you arrive on site and then book your pitch and stay. Grass pitches and sheltered pitches are available for only £10 per night per pitch (up to two adults and two children). We have space for tents, caravans and motorhomes, and you are also welcome to bring your canine companion and enjoy the walking available on the many local footpaths –as long as you clean up after them, of course! Drinking water and a chemical disposal point are on hand, but be aware there are no electrical hookups on site.

Just a mile away is the quintessentially English village of Finchingfield. Stock up on supplies, visit one of the excellent pubs or pretty tearooms, and be sure to stop by the Church of St John the Baptist, parts of which date back to the 12th century. You can linger around the pond, enjoying the ducks and stream meandering through. The village also offers a restored windmill and a picture postcard arrangement of cottages and historic buildings. In all, one of the must-see delights Essex has to offer!

Whether you’re a seasoned camper/caravanner, or if you’re new to the hobby, you will find Spains Hall to be the perfect destination for that much needed rest and relaxation. Leave your everyday life behind and embrace the fresh air, enjoy the great outdoors and watch your pace of life change for the better – all excellent health and lifestyle benefits. You will be in the company of like-minded people or can keep to yourself if you would prefer – there’s enough room for everyone!

To experience a stay at this new site at Spains Hall, simply book a pitch or make an enquiry by calling 07811 454383 or emailing enquiries@spainshall.co.uk . Visit the Spains Hall website for more information and to discover more about the beautiful Estate. We look forward to welcoming you to Dairyley Farm at Spains Hall very soon.

Mucky Madness Unleashed

enquiries@spainshallestate.co.uk (Archie Ruggles-Brise) — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 16:09:03 GMT

Discount Code for Spains Hall friends

With Winter turning to Spring (yes the daffodils are up!) why not try something a little different this April? Mud running is the latest, greatest, phenomenon to rock the fitness world and we are delighted to once again play hosts to the muddiest, most amusing, mud run with obstacles in Essex - Mucky Madness . With a choice of distances to tempt both first-timers and experienced runners this countryside cross country boasts a great and varied course as well as about the best spectator viewing you will get.

Ramblings from the Essex countryside

Tennis, Trees and Turtle doves

By Sarah Brockless (Head of Conservation) 19th May 2025

Beavers and 17th Century map makers share incredible abilities!

By Sarah Brockless (Estate Ecologist) 9th December 2024

Natural England NCA map could help developers reduce the number of off-site BNG units required

New tool makes working out which NCA you are in far easier

Ghosts and bats

A spooky summer at Spains Hall Estate!

Ground-breaking first biodiversity net gain deal completed in Braintree District

Spains Hall Estate have completed what is believed to be the first off-site Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) deal in Braintree District in north west Essex

Larking about in wellies

������ Wildlife warblings ������

Larking about in wellies

Volunteers, Marsh Tits and Oxlips

������ Wildlife warblings ������

Volunteers, Marsh Tits and Oxlips

Five years of beaver activity reduces impact of flooding and drought

Join us in celebrating our wonderful women this International Women’s Day

Today, Spains Hall Estate is celebrating International Women’s Day, with good reason!

Jack and Jill go haring about Spains Hall estate

������ Wildlife warblings ������

Mad March Hare.

Westminster launch of powerful report

Independent report calls for 10 steps to recover our water environment

Estate supplies case-studies to first-of-its kind online toolkit to help farmers plan nature projects

Green Finance Institute's 'Farmer Toolkit' features 3 estate case studies

Enviro-tech firm uses estate's experience to refine product for land managers

Archie & Sarah deliver webinar series for Zulu Ecosystems staff

Red list residents bring colour to grey days

������ Wildlife warblings ������

﻿

Yellowhammers are welcome flashes of colour in winter

Hope for our Hedges

������ Wildlife warblings ������ ﻿

Essex beaver project contributes data to national enclosure report

Natural England report makes use of data and insights for national report

Forestry Group tour the estate

Forestry and Woodland Advisory Committee visit

Essex Life "A vision for our countryside"

Lifestyle magazine reveals Estate's plans

Estate tracks built to reduce silt runoff into rivers

Hardcore tracks used to reduce water pollution

Estate manager appointed Chair of two local initiatives

Archie set to lead charity and farm cluster

Beavers contribute to £33m worth of environmental improvements featured in Environment Agency yearly review

Beavers tell their story in 2023's "Tales from an East Anglian riverbank"

University Master's students field visit day

Kings College London students annual field visit day

Trustees see pioneering environmental work first hand

Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust's board revisit estate

FWAG East brave the weather to show farmers round the Estate

Environmental Charity members explore future land use projects

Beaver baby boom!

Fourth litter for busy Essex beaver family

Biodiversity Net Gain Credits officials tour estate

Defra and Natural England officials visit as part of BNG Credits Pilot

Industry picks up farm water management report

‘Whole farm reservoir’ approach featured in industry publications

Invitation to Number 10 Downing Street to talk Green Finance

Nature finance meeting launches new innovation fund, but doubts remain on financial viability for holistic approaches

Defra's Environmental Quality Minister visits Spains Hall Estate

Rebecca Pow enjoys an in-depth tour of the estate

Fact-finding trip to nut growing region in France

Cutting edge research and centuries of experience on display

New study reveals farm winter water storage can ease summer drought

‘Whole farm reservoir’ approach at Spains Hall estate could store millions of litres per hectare in soil

Listen to Archie on Top Rated Planet Possible podcast

Niki and co-host Alastair Chisholm head to Spains Hall Estate in north Essex to meet Archie Ruggles-Brise and explore some of his innovative approaches to managing the land – and water – across the estate

New beavers released in Essex as ground-breaking Natural Flood Management programme expands

Today, another four Eurasian beavers have been released into two brand new 50-acre enclosures on the Spains Hall Estate in Finchingfield, Essex as part of a ground-breaking Natural Flood Management Scheme.

Free tours as part of the Agroforestry Open Weekend

Look round our agroforestry system

Spains Hall Estate trials biodegradable tree shelters

Vigilis Tree Shelters provide Spains Hall Estate with nearly 1,000 plastic-free biodegradable tree shelters

First trees in pioneering agroforestry project planted at Spains Hall Estate

Lines of widely spaced walnut and oak trees will be planted within arable and grazing fields to produce food products and timber for decades to come

Spains Hall Estate invests in new electric off-road vehicle

Grant helps estate switch to low carbon UTV

Spains Hall Estate launches new educational partnership

�� Wildlife warblings ��

�� Wildlife warblings ��

�� Wildlife warblings ��

�� Wildlife warblings ��

�� Wildlife warblings ��