The Traditional Skill of Hedge-laying

Written by Museum volunteer Paula Lacey.

“Visitors to the Museum this year will be able to appreciate the beautiful hedge-laying that the Estate team have completed along the edge of Skippings Field.

Hedge-laying is a traditional skill which has been carried out in Britain for hundreds of years. Left alone, trees and bushes in a hedgerow just grow straight upwards, leaving gaps which animals can walk through, but hedge-laying encourages the individual plants to sprout new growth at the bottom and knit together. This fills the gaps, turning the hedge into a solid stock-proof barrier. It is carried out between October and March, when the plants are dormant and the birds are not nesting.

The basic principles of hedge-laying are simple although the practice calls for experience and skill. Firstly, the hedge is trimmed to remove any branches and growth which will not be needed. Then, each upright stem which is to form part of the hedge is cut about four-fifths of the way through, a few inches above the ground, using a billhook. This is known as pleaching. The stem is then bent over to lie at an angle, along the line of the hedge, with the bark underneath. This process is repeated for all the stems in the hedge until they all lie neatly in the same direction. New growth will occur all along the length of the laid branches but particularly from the point of the pleached cut.

Wooden stakes are hammered into the ground along the length of the hedge, spaced at a distance equal to a man’s fore-arm. These stakes may be unwanted stems taken from the hedge itself or may have been collected from other trees which have been coppiced. They help to support the hedge while it produces new growth. Finally, the top of the hedge is whipped – lengths of wood are woven between the stakes to produce a neat, firm top and increase the strength of the hedge. This wood is usually hazel but other woods such as willow can be used. At the museum, the hedge is whipped with hazel sourced from our woodland.

Although the principles of hedge-laying remain the same, there are many regional variations around the country. These are dictated by considerations such as the type of livestock to be fenced, the landscape and local farming practices. For example, the Midland bullock hedge is designed to be thicker and stronger and is used in areas where large animals are typically reared. In this variation, the small, dense branches, known as brush, are removed from only one side of the hedge. The stakes and cut side of the hedge face the road or ploughed land, while the brush faces the field where the animals are kept and stops them from eating the new growth. At the museum, the hedge is of the Southern type, characterised by the brush being left on both sides of the hedge, again preventing the animals from eating the new growth.

Apart from forming good stock-proof barriers, laid hedges provide other environmental benefits. The bases of these hedges provide excellent wildlife corridors and offer habitats for many creatures, from insects to small mammals such as hedgehogs and dormice. Additionally, a well-maintained hedge provides excellent nesting sites for birds. The practice also helps to rejuvenate hedges by encouraging growth. Despite this, the use of hedge-laying has been in decline since the end of the Second World War. Many landowners prefer to use wire fencing and hedges are often just cut back using large tractor-driven hedge-cutters. This has led to a serious degradation of many of our countryside hedges and a loss of important habitats.

Fortunately, there has recently been a realisation of the value of well-kept hedges and more people are learning and using the skills of hedge-laying so there is now hope that this traditional craft, with all its benefits, will be preserved.”