Welcome to the Rudloe and environs website.
Here you will find news, articles and photos of an area that straddles the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in north-west Wiltshire.
Contributions in the form of articles or photos are welcome. Even those with completely contrary views to mine!
Thanks to the website builder 1&1 and Rob Brown for the original idea.
Rudloescene now, in January 2014, has a sister, academic rather than anarchic, website about Box history here: http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/
It contains thoroughly professional, well-researched articles about Box and its people.
Contact rudloescene through the 'Contact' page.
Sunday 3rd September 2023 and summer has arrived at last - temperatures are forecast to be mid-twenties and above all week. This month's title picture shows John P in the Bradford Road Badlands twixt Corsham Parish and Box Parish.
September's 'crew': Rod, Lucy, John P, Dave, Lorraine, Rob, Derrick, Meg and John H. With Mike yet to arrive and yours truly, that makes eleven.
Field maples (Acer campestre) in the high verge between the Bradford Road and Springfield Close gardens
Comfrey in the Bradford Road verge behind Springfield Close
This month's offering to the gods in the Bradford Road beech woodland. Previous offerings? Shredded cabbage and carrot, pasta and biscuits.
John P emerges from what is currently the Miscanthus field but could soon be yet another greenfield development
Lorraine and John P in the Bradford Road Badlands
A marvellous morass of weed (lots of it looks like greater knapweed) twixt Park Place and the Bradford Road
An interesting find at the border of Corsham parish?
John P heading into Corsham parish while Lorraine remains in the Badlands
A wasted resource in the 'cut' twixt the Bradford Road and the A4
Survivor of Wiltshire Council's trashing of the flowers and grasses along a Bath Road dry stone wall
Lost Mary 'disposable' vape on the pavement of Copenacre Way
Lovers enjoying the view of the By Brook Valley
John P, Rod and Lorraine wander home for a cuppa
September's haul which will be collected by Wiltshire Council's French contractor tomorrow (Monday)
Sunday, 6th August 2023 - just as last month's report (see below) celebrated the Bradford Road verges, this month we find that Wiltshire Council has stripped the verges to within a millimetre of their life. The (second) title picture illustrates the absurdity of cutting down a verdant verge rich in a variety of plantlife whilst leaving the litter.
Holiday season brings just seven of us together: Rod, John P, Gordon, Meg and Dave are seen here at the meeting point while Mike has already set off. With yours truly, that makes the seven.
The merry band sets off to follow various routes
Here we go round the mulberry bush... fallen mulberries from one of the two bushes at the top end of Westwells Road
I cannot fathom what possible purpose cutting down this bramble patch served. A haven for wildlife in the nesting season, it seems that Wiltshire Council operatives just go blundering about mindlessly. Jobsworths the lot of them.
A week or so ago, this was verdant verge. Let's continue the griping with the bemoaning of the lack of courtesy today. I extended a "good morning" to the chap shown in the frame; he continued on without a word or glance.
The Dickens Gate SUDS pond
John P contemplating the moving of the 'Welcome to Box sign from one side of the Bradford Road to the other thus obscuring the speed limit sign. A while later, a youngster came charging along at 70+ mph (he would have done this whatever).
Perhaps the very definition of parochialism... the sign was moved as the verge on the other side of the Bradford Road is in Corsham parish
Look very carefully and you will see (centre, left) two boys, one of whom asked (me) "Is this maize". I told him it was elephant grass and added (to his mum) there will be no crop here in the future if Corsham Science Park II is approved.
View from the border twixt Park Place and the Bradford Road across the elephant grass to Dickens Gate. This prospect will be industrialised if planning application PL/2023/04816 (deadline for comments is now 10th August) is approved.
The images in the gallery below show the verge on the south side of the A4 between Halfway Firs and Rudloe Firs with Rudloe Estate beyond. Thankfully, Wiltshire Council have forgotten about this verge which is replete with Clematis vitalba and other wild plants.
This month's haul - eleven bags (plus car panels), five of which were collected by John P
Sunday, 2nd July 2023 - halfway through the year already and we missed the Heddington Steam Rally which always takes place on the first weekend in July but you've got to do your litter picks! This month we celebrate the wonder of our hedgerows, particularly the Bradford Road hedgerow - the title picture shows Mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris) in the Bradford Road verge just below Rudloe Estate. Mugwort has seen continuous use in many cultures throughout the world as a medicinal, spiritual, and culinary ingredient since at least the Iron Age. In contemporary culture mugwort is commonly found in foods and drinks, and remains a common ingredient in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditional medicine, where the leaves are used directly as a food, or to obtain oil extracts and tinctures (this text from Wikipedia),
July's crew: Rod, Lucy, Lorraine, Bernard, Madeleine, Meg, Derrick and Gordon; Dave is out-of-picture at right and Mike has already departed so with yours truly, that makes eleven of us.
Rod and Meg set off down the Bradford Road towards Thorneypits
Thistle, probably spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare) and hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) in the Bradford Road verge close to Rudloe Fiveways
A Rudloe cat patrolling the Bradford Road beech (mainly) woodland
Convolvulus arvensis in the Bradford Road verge
A landscape version of the title photograph
Another patch of Convolvulus arvensis on the roadside in the Bradford Road
Wheat in the Johnston field with lapsed planning permission for a Hartham Quarry slope shaft
Oat grass in the Bradford Road verge
The SUDS (sustainable drainage system) pond at Copenacre is dry in spite of some recent heavy rain. A more sustainable system would be for all new homes to be fitted with (underground) rainwater tanks as happens on the continent.
Poppies and dock on the footpath twixt Copenacre and Rudloe Firs
Hedge bindweed and bramble in the A4 verge; the flats of Long Close Avenue on Rudloe Estate beyond
The wide verge at the brow of Box Hill has been mown this year whereas last year its wild plants were left to flower and set seed between May and July as advised by environmental experts. What is Wiltshire Council playing at?
Job done, Lorraine wends her way home
This month's modest haul which will be picked up by Wiltshire Council's French contractor tomorrow (Monday)
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