Gun Port

Pond

P

1 8

2

3

4

5

6

7

Carriage House

Harlaxton Manor was built in the 1830s for Gregory Gregory, a wealthy Nottinghamshire businessman, to replace the original Elizabethan Manor House in Harlaxton Village. Having travelled throughout England and Europe seeking inspiration, ideas and indeed artefacts for this huge house, Gregory employed Anthony Salvin as architect and Harlaxton Manor must be regarded as Salvin's masterpiece. Built in Ancaster stone, it is an exuberant merging of Gothic, Jacobethan and Baroque styles creating an unforgettable and dramatic impact.

Owner and architect had many differences of opinion, however, and Salvin having completed the exterior of the main building was replaced by William Burn who is thought responsible for much of the interior.

Few houses in the country can match the splendid approach to Harlaxton. A straight mile long drive across a bridge, under a gatehouse, past 'the pyrotechnic display of the forecourt gates and screen'* to Salvin's towering facade, whether by day, or night when the building is floodlit, is in itself a memorable, experience.

The house is now owned by the University of Evansville, Indiana, USA, and is used as their British Campus.

*Lincolnshire by Pevsner and Harris in the Buildings of England series.

Post no. 1 A selection of deciduous and evergreen trees:

Common beech (Fagus sylvatica)

Deciduous trees that can group up to 40 metres tall. They are often solitary, short trunked and heavy crowned trees. The bark is silver grey and smooth.

European larch (Larix decidua)

A deciduous conifer growing up to 50 metres tall. Growing rapidly at first, and with a narrow conical crown it later broadens out and the thin branches take on a typical drooping appearance. The bark is thick and typically deeply furrowed and scaly. It is grey/brown in colour with often a reddish-brown flecking.

Norway spruce (Picea abies)

An upright conifer growing up to 50 metres tall, with a pointed conical crown and grey or red/brown flaky bark. The Norway spruce is commonly used as a Christmas tree.

Map source:Ordnance Survey 1:10560 1890/1 SK122NE/SELMD/2013

Post no. 2 Coppiced oak trees (Quercus robur)

Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood young tree stems are cut down to near ground level and in subsequent growth years many new shoots emerge. After a number of years the coppiced tree is ready to harvest and so the cycle begins again.

Typically a coppiced woodland will be harvested in sections, or coups, on a rotation and in this way a crop is available each year.

Coppicing maintains trees at a juvenile stage and a regularly coppiced tree will never die from old age, indeed some reach immense ages. The age of the tree may be estimated from its diameter and some are so large, perhaps as much as 5.4 meters (18 feet) across, that they are thought to have been continuously coppiced for centuries.

An oak tree can be coppiced over a fifty year cycle for poles or firewood.

Post no. 3 Cross roads

The path divides at this point, going off in two directions. The path that goes to the left is a new extended path, going past the Gun Port that is still there from the Second World War. This path is marked red on the map.

The path that goes straight up is a shorter route, and is marked blue on the map.

Post no. 4A bench is placed next to the pond area that collects spring water from the wood and field above and is ideal as a wildlife habitat.

The bench overlooks the village of Barrowby that can be seen on the horizon. Take a few minutes to sit down and enjoy the view.

By 1917, a series of trenches, running out into the fields away from the Carriage House, had been constructed to replicate the Western Front. A line of ‘German’ trenches faced a line of ‘British’ trenches with ‘No-Man’s Land’ in between. The trenches were part of the complex of training grounds built around Grantham for the Machine Gun Corps established in 1915.

Post no. 5 The Gun Port

In World War Two, Allan Williams Turrets were positioned across the countryside to strengthen the nation’s defences against invasion. These were one-man, all-metal conical turrets. Designed to rotate 360 degrees, a machine gunner seated in the turret could fire in all directions through a small armoured door; a machine gun could also be fired through a hatch in the roof to provide limited anti-aircraft fire.

Post no. 6A collection of Norway spruce and silver birch (Betula pendula). The birch can be coppiced on a three-four year cycle for bundles of brushwood.

Post no. 7An area of new and old plantation sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus). Sycamores, a deciduous tree that can grow up to about 35 metres tall, are strongly branched and have a domed crown. They flower in May, when the leaves are drooping. The flowers are 5-15cm long and are yellow-green in colour. The bark at first is grey-brown and smooth, later becoming scaly with reddish markings.

Post no. 8An area planted with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Austrian pine (Pinus nigra). Scots pine is a conifer that grows to about 40 metres tall. The crown at first is conical with branches arranged in whorls, but later becomes spreading. The needles are bluish-green whilst the bark is reddish-brown in colour. There is another bench at this point in the walk.

Harlaxton Manor Bluebell Woods WalkShort walk approximately 20 minutesLong walk approximately 45 minutes

Guidelines for trail use

Please stay on the trail. Walking in the

woodland aw

ay from the trail m

ay disturb delicate plant and anim

al habitats, burrows,

and tree nests. Unfortunately, due to

uneven ground and possibly wet

conditions, this trail is not suitable for pushchairs or w

heelchairs. It is advisable to w

ear appropriate footwear and please

supervise children adequately.Please keep dogs on leads at all tim

es to avoid disturbing pheasants and other w

ildlife.Please carry out all of your rubbish and leave the trail as you expect to find it.

Woodland hazards - please be observant

Stinging nettle. This plant is found on the w

oodland floor and may be up to one m

eter tall. It has one square stem

covered with

spines, and irritates the skin with a stinging

sensation.Blackberry canes. The canes not only have sharp briars, but often grow

near the ground and are a trip hazard.A

nimal burrow

s. Ground dw

elling anim

als are comm

on in the woodland.

Accidentally stepping in a burrow

could result in injury. Rem

ember, the burrow

s are anim

al homes. D

o not disturb them.

Stumps and irregular footing. Even on the

trail short stumps and rough footing m

ay be encountered. O

ccasionally users may need

to walk around fallen tree lim

bs.

LD/0513

Harlaxton M

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