Gibside: From Rhoddie Bashing to Road Repairs

October - November 2019

October saw the team working around the Octagon Pond on a couple of occasions. One of the first tasks was to rake up grass which had previously been strimmed along one edge of the pond. On our next visit the Wednesday conservation team were tasked with cutting back trees, mainly birch, from one side of the pond to improve the vista looking up towards The Banqueting House. Destruction in the name of conservation – we were in our element.

Raking grass at the Octagon Pond

Fly agaric

Fungi growing on tree stump

Assessing the scale of the job at Octagon Pond

Almost complete

Still some work to be done

Clear view

From the other side of the pond towards The Banqueting House

In the mists of late October, the team could be found rhoddie bashing along the “serpentine path” which leads up to The Column to Liberty. The rhododendrons in this area are prolific and were encroaching on the path sides. Cutting them back quite severely enabled a new path edging to be created using silver birch trunks.

Low cloud hangs over The Orangery

Through the mist

Cutting back the rhododendrons

New path edging

Fungi growing on fallen tree trunk

Early November brought our first frost of the season. The day began with a little breaking and entering as the keys to the tool store were missing. This necessitated the removal of the door before our work could begin. Once access was gained, we became a team of road menders. Like many roads elsewhere, the roads and paths of Gibside have become pothole ridden. After clearing the ice and water from the potholes the task of filling them could begin. This involved transporting wheelbarrow full of stone chippings to each site, filling the holes and tamping the chippings down.