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Posted in Events on Tuesday 24th August 2010 at 9:57pm
The Dartmoor Society is hosting a special day at the Nicholls Hall, Lydford from 10.00am on Saturday 4th September, which will appeal to all who have an interest in Dartmoor artists, whether historical or contemporary.
Speakers will include acclaimed artist Nick Collier, former Director of Arts at Kelly College, on artists inspired by the Lydford area since the 18th century, and art teacher Martin Stephens-Hodge on Dartmoor painters father and son William Widgery (1826-1893) and Frederick John Widgery (1861-1942).
In the afternoon artist Lucy Turmaine will demonstrate artist’s techniques at a moorland location favoured by the Widgerys (this will involve a rough moorland walk totalling 2-3 miles from High Down), and the event will end with an optional cream tea at the Lydford House Hotel (built for William Widgery). There will be displays of artwork in the Nicholls Hall. Participants will make their own arrangements for lunch.
Dr Tom Greeves, Chairman of the Dartmoor Society, said, ‘This will be a unique event, held in Lydford, the ancient capital of Dartmoor, celebrating artists connected with the village and western Dartmoor. Artists William and F.J. Widgery are hugely popular and had intimate links with Lydford. The day includes a moorland walk to visit places where the Widgerys actually painted, and also a demonstration of their techniques. Displays will enhance the whole experience’.
10.00 – Arrival & Displays.
10.20 – Welcome.
10.25 – Nick Collier: ‘Painters of Western Dartmoor, Past & Present’.
11.15 – Coffee & Displays.
11.45 – Martin Stephens-Hodge: ‘The Widgerys from the perspective of a modern artist’.
12.30 – Lunch – participants to make their own arrangements.
13.45 – Assemble at High Down for a Visit to the Lyd Valley with Lucy Turmaine.
16.15 – Cream Tea at Lydford House Hotel.
17.00 – Finish.
Booking is essential. The cost of the day (including coffee) is £4 members/£5 non-members, with a chance to book a cream tea separately for an additional £4.
For more details or to book please see our Events page.
Posted in Responses/Comments on Thursday 5th August 2010 at 8:37pm
Brief reports expressing our concerns about works to ‘rewet’ Dartmoor’s blanket peat have appeared in Newsletter 34, pp5–7 and 35, p13. A new phase of activity is about to be launched.
A 5½-page report went to Dartmoor National Park Authority on 8 January 2010, revealing that between £1 million and £1.3 million is to be allocated to Dartmoor National Park by South West Water towards a 5-year project commencing on 1 April 2010, now titled ‘Mires on the Moors Project’. The project will ‘develop plans for and implement restoration of around 110 hectares of blanket bog within the Forest of Dartmoor, in consultation with stakeholders.’
The report states baldly that there are areas ‘where erosion is seriously reducing the quality of Dartmoor’s blanket bogs’ and that ‘most of Dartmoor’s blanket bogs have been damaged or threatened by encroaching erosion’. We have requested data and evidence to support these statements and so far have been sent some rather unconvincing ground images. We are seeking further evidence to support these claims.
Dr Tom Greeves wrote to Dr Kevin Bishop, Chief Executive of DNPA, in January 2010 requesting formally that The Dartmoor Society should have representation on the proposed Project Board, especially as we are the only body to have organised highly relevant public debates on Dartmoor’s Vegetation (2006) and Dartmoor’s Water Resources (2008), as well as hosting a Research Lecture on ‘Climatic & Environmental Change on Dartmoor’ by Dr Ralph Fyfe in 2007 – all of which have been published in our Newsletter and/or website. He replied saying that he would be ‘keen to ensure that we find a mechanism whereby the experience, enthusiasm and contacts of Dartmoor Society members can be used to support and guide the Dartmoor Mires Project along with the views of other partners’, and said that he would discuss our formal request with funding partners in mid-February.
Of significant concern is the fact that existing works on Amicombe Hill and Blackabrook Down, and proposed works on Winney’s Down, are all ‘Works on Common Land’ and fall under the remit of the Commons Act 2006. Large quantities of timber are involved in making the dams (some 200 on Blackabrook Down alone), carbon-emitting vehicles are used, and the turf itself is partly broken to consolidate dams. Consent from the Secretary of State (via the Planning Inspectorate) is required (Commons Act 2006 Section 38) for ‘restricted works’ which include ‘any that prevent or impede access to or over the land. They include fencing, buildings, structures, ditches, trenches, embankments and other works, where the effect of those works is to prevent or impede access’.
Several graziers are very concerned about the impact of the dams on grazing, on the lears (traditional grazing areas to which animals are attached), and difficulties for movement of cattle and sheep through the newly wetted zones. There are also issues affecting archaeological features and general access for the public. Unlawful works under the Act include those that ‘could compromise the cultural, conservation or recreational value, or the openness of the common.’
On 2 December 2009 Professor Ian Mercer stated at a meeting of the Commoners’ Council (of which he is Chairman) that ‘the damming [on Amicombe Hill and Blackabrook Down] has not gone through the right legal processes’. Dr Tom Greeves wrote to Prof. Mercer on 9 December requesting ‘that the Commoners’ Council, as the statutory body with responsibility for management of the commons of Dartmoor, takes the lead in ensuring that formal application is made by all parties concerned to the Secretary of State for existing and any future planned works on the blanket bog of Dartmoor’.
Not surprisingly, Natural England apparently believes the works are exempt. However, this has not been put to the test and, under the Commons Act 2006, ‘Anyone undertaking exempt works must confirm that those works come within the terms of the exemption by posting a notice on site and informing the Secretary of State’. To our knowledge no such notice has been posted at Amicombe, Blackabrook or Winney’s Down. Under the Act ‘if works are carried out that go beyond the scope of an exemption, then any person may take enforcement action against them’.
We believe that application for consent for these works should be made. Under the Act, ‘Applicants must advertise their proposals and make copies of plans available for inspection locally so that the public can make representations’.
There is scope for a public local inquiry or hearing and it seems that such an inquiry would be appropriate in this case, given the scale of the works involved, uncertainties about their purpose and efficacy, and significant concerns among graziers and the general public relating to grazing, access and cultural heritage. We have no objection to the pure research elements of the project (e.g. dating of the peat) but believe the project as a whole is yet another instance of external bodies interfering on Dartmoor, driven by the availability of large sums of money.
The momentum derived from funding, the fashionable pursuit of carbon management and the ‘partnership’ label can, as appears to have happened in this case, lead to a high-handed and arrogant approach, lacking in sensitivity to the traditional users of the ground, and the land itself, which would not have been tolerated if another body had suggested such works on common land.
Professor Mercer is seeking further guidance and clarification from the Planning Inspectorate.
Meanwhile, we ask members to be alert to any advertised notices for consent, or exemption from consent, on the ground or in newspapers. We welcome any information regarding these notices or any comments from members regarding the project in general.
Tom Greeves
Posted in News on Friday 14th May 2010 at 9:31am
We are pleased to announce that the Member Centre on our website is live. Members can now sign in securely to update their contact details and book events online.
For security we have given each member an automatically generated password not known to anyone. The first time you use the Member Centre simply enter your email address and click the Email Password button to receive your initial password. It can be changed to something more memorable after you have signed in.
To get started go to the sign-in page and follow the instructions.
Posted in News on Thursday 6th May 2010 at 11:12pm
The 13th Dartmoor Society Award was presented by Chairman Dr Tom Greeves at the Society’s Annual General Meeting held at Manaton on 17th April. The Award is made annually to individuals or groups who, in the opinion of the Society, have made a special contribution to Dartmoor.
The Award is in the form of a ceramic plate uniquely crafted by potter Penny Simpson of Moretonhampstead and calligrapher Susanne Haines of Bovey Tracey. Charlotte Faulkner’s plate is inscribed with the words ‘The Dartmoor Society Award 2010 – for Charlotte Faulkner for her devotion to the cause of hill ponies’.
Charlotte has for more than ten years spearheaded a campaign to give the traditional hill ponies of Dartmoor the recognition they deserve for their importance to the grazing management of the moor, and their wonderful qualities as riding pets, so that they obtain fair prices at the annual pony sales. She established the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association, and the Friends of the Dartmoor Hill Pony, from her Dartmoor farm base. She and her ponies are well-known at Devon County Show, and each year she also organises the fundraising 50-mile Dartmoor Challenge.
Dr Tom Greeves said, ‘Charlotte’s enthusiasm and passion for the hill ponies of Dartmoor is inspirational, and her work on their behalf, which has successfully raised their profile nationally and beyond, is hugely admired by all who have an interest in the future of Dartmoor’s most iconic, well-tempered, and ecologically best adapted beasts. It gives me enormous pleasure to present this Award on behalf of the Dartmoor Society and indeed the wider Dartmoor community.’
Posted in Events on Wednesday 3rd March 2010 at 2:23pm
In a new venture for the Dartmoor Society, we will be running an event in June that is only advertised on the website. The reason for this is that we received a positive response from South West Water to run an event on their property, but the information arrived too late for inclusion in the Newsletter. Rather than miss out on the opportunity to visit the Avon Dam we decided to tell people about it via the website. Full details are available on the Events page
Posted in Events on Monday 28th September 2009 at 9:41am
The very popular Dartmoor Society Winter Revel is to be held again this year, on Saturday 5th December 2009, in the Jubilee Hall, Chagford, 7.30pm–11.30pm. The well-known local band ‘Footloose’, with guest appearances from Dartmoor singer Bill Murray and harmony group ‘Quintessential’, will provide entertainment and music for an evening of dancing, buffet supper (by Margaret Allin of The Victorian Pantry), and a raffle. Please bring your own drink (glasses provided). Tickets (£9 per person, to include supper) need to be purchased by 28 November from Sally’s (formerly Youd’s), The Square, Chagford (available from 1 November), or direct from The Dartmoor Society at PO Box 38, Tavistock PL19 0XJ (cheques payable to ‘The Dartmoor Society’). For further information please phone 01822 617004 or email info@dartmoorsociety.com.
Posted in Committee on Tuesday 26th May 2009 at 9:58pm
The Society still requires an Honorary Secretary. Their role will be to keep the records of the Society, to service the Executive Committee by preparing agendas and writing minutes of meetings, as well as booking halls for events etc. They will work closely with the other officers regarding correspondence and consultation documents, and will be responsible for dealing with the Society’s mail.
Anyone who might be interested in taking on this important and stimulating role, at the heart of a dynamic and independent group, please contact Dr Tom Greeves on 01822 617004 (tomgreeves@btconnect.com) in the first instance.
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