The golf course meanders around the castle
span 1749 to 1769 and show widescale work on Leeds’ formal areas. “The Culpeper gardens, which are commonly thought to be a recent addition, actually date back to 1769 as mappings which have recently been discovered reveal,” says James. Leeds Castle is thought to have held a strategic position in former times and is located at a key intersection of medieval roads, with the river Len flowing through the estate into the Medway, contributing to its seven kilometres of watercourses. “Water has never been a problem for us,” says James. “The castle was well designed to ensure there was a ready supply. We hold an abstraction licence and several natural springs also well up. At the time the castle was built, having clean water would make you very wealthy.” However, an abundance of natural spring water does not necessarily mean that irrigation is sorted, as James Smith discovered when he applied quantities to the golf course and couldn’t understand why he failed to achieve the desired results. “We found that the natural spring we were sourcing had a pH balance of 7.7, which made it unsuitable for some of our grass species,” he reveals. The estate soil presents “a tale of two halves”, adds James McConkie. “On the one side, we have a green sand belt with
There are over 3,000 ‘notable’ trees, including ancient cedars and chestnuts
sandy, slightly acidic, soil. On the other, the soil is reddish brown and we use 350 acres for grazing. Marshy areas predominate where the Len flows through and they are home to an array of flora and fauna, including rare species of orchids and wild grasses.” Few estate managers are blessed with as diverse a range of responsibilities as James and he clearly relishes every day in his post, even the challenges of delivering the high standards that the Leeds bequest requires.
A persistent problem is blue green algae. An unsightly coating of it recently spread across the surface of ‘Great Water’, the lake created by damming the Len, and triggered by a combination of the rapid warming of its shallow water and the nutrient value of geese droppings. “We conducted experiments in the water and found that the algae formed on every fourth, fifth and sixth days,” he relates, “so we now ensure we rotate the water every third day.” An elegant solution.
At one stage, nearly 30% of the water in the moat was infested with the potentially poisonous growth, he adds. Given that the waters are home to carp, bream and wild brown trout,
coupled Amazing!
Leeds Castle employs three full-time and one part-time gardener, including head, Julian Gurney. The team tends the formal gardens (the grounds team caring for the golf course and parkland). The gardeners are also responsible for maintaining the
box hedges in the Culpeper Garden and maze, trimming them in late September or early October each year. The maze was planted in 1988 with no fewer than 2,400 yew trees and has the appearance of a topiary castle, its corridors leading through a spiralling path to a raised viewpoint offering a panorama of the park. Visitors then progress to an underground grotto constructed of shells, minerals, wood and other materials, which signifies the ‘underworld’. The maze alone can take two gardeners four weeks to trim 2,100 metres of hedge cuttings, working before it opens to the public each day. The yew hedge clippings are sent to a pharmaceutical company where they are used as an ingredient in Taxol, a cancer treatment drug.
with leisure activities such as raft racing, clean, safe, clear waterways are crucial - which is why he is pondering the prospect of introducing a “microcosmos” to help the water stay naturally clean. The castle’s waterways are merely one habitat supporting a wide biodiversity that are part and parcel of Leeds’ stance of environmental protection and support for rare species. “We’re a haven for wildlife,” he declares, “with some of the world’s rarest birds here in our aviary and, in the wild, particularly wetland species.” The aviary, run by Laura Gardner, has its focus on conservation, with a range of breeding work undertaken for birds that are either endangered or extinct in the wild. Next year, daily falconry displays will be replaced by the World of Birds, run by a couple who will join the aviary team. “We’re lucky enough to be a stop-off for
rare migratory birds - species you wouldn’t usually expect to see in the Kent skies, including the osprey and smaller birds such as marsh and reed warblers. We hope the new attraction will give greater value to what the aviary is already doing, including flying displays of some species such as the American Bald Eagle.” The popularity of Leeds with migratory
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