Hopetoun House access and habitat management project
Hopetoun House, South Queensferry, Edinburgh, EH30 9SL
The site
Hopetoun House is owned and managed by an independent, charitable trust created in 1974 by the current Marquess and his father in order to preserve the House with its historic contents and surrounding landscape for the enjoyment and education of the public for all time. While it is the house that is the most recognisable ‘face’ of the estate, the grounds offer a great deal to the public – both local people and visitors from elsewhere. Hopetoun has over 150 acres of land, which includes grazing land, woodland, a deer park and a number of miles of seashore. As such, the estate has a great deal of biodiversity and environmental value, and appropriate management of this asset for the benefit of current and future generations takes a great deal of input.
The project
Footpath improvement
There are a number of public footpaths which
run through the 150 acres at Hopetoun House. One section of footpath
requires upgrading as erosion mostly as a result of rainfall is
causing the path to wash away. This project would aim to upgrade
this section of footpath, and would involve the following tasks:
Put wooden edging along the edge of the path to prevent material from the path being washed away by rainfall.
Spread bark on sections of the path to protect exposed tree roots from walker’s feet.
Cutting back of low and overhanging branches to make the path easier to walk along.
Rhododendron management
Rhododendrons
were first brought back to Scotland by Victorian botanists over
100 years ago. They have been very popular with gardeners since
that time and it is easy to see why – they
exhibit spectacular floral displays, usually in May and June. Rhododendrons
however have become invasive species in Scotland, where they are
able to out-compete many native plants. They send toxic substances
into the soil where they grow which prevents other plants from
growing, thus giving rhododendrons a competitive advantage. Given
these problems, they need to be managed to prevent them spreading
too much.
The day will involve cutting down rhododendron plants from within
an area of woodland and burning these cuttings. This will allow
the understory of shrubby trees and plants which should be growing
on the woodland floor to re-establish in the woodland, thus enhancing
biodiversity and offering a habitat for many species of insects,
birds and mammals.
As part of the project, Hopetoun House would like to offer a free
tour of the house as a token of its appreciation for the work carried
out by the group.
