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.
25th January 2022 - a walk in the depths of winter with the smell of woodsmoke in the air - reminiscences of childhood 'up north'. The title picture shows a beech with nascent moss in Leafy Lane Wood.
The depths of winter in the small meadow at Leafy Lane. The western end of the meadow is now being utilised for 'woodland' burials.
Lamium galeobdolon or yellow archangel carpets the woodland floor towards the centre of Leafy Lane Wood. This has beautiful flowers in springtime but as it is, supposedly, 'invasive' a consultant's report recommended its removal.
Where the wild things are - a gaggle of beeches with an oak thrown in for good measure - Leafy Lane Wood on 25th January 2022
Grave-digging activity in a spot sandwiched between the football field and right-of-way BOX107A
The view from the western end of the meadow with the woodland at left. Another tree appears to have, recently, been chopped down (centre, middleground). One hopes that the owners are mindful of the TPO which covers all the trees here.
The wild woodland, just as David Attenborough would like to see it
The Leafy Lane Natural Burial Area is bounded by a wooden fence beyond the central line of trees
Leafy Lane 'wild' woodland with the fence of Park Avenue houses beyond
'Wild' woodland in Leafy Lane Wood just as David Attenborough or Chris Packham would like it
The woodland floor in winter - Leafy Lane Wood on 25th January 2022
Ivy, bramble and fallen leaves - habitat for the wildlife of the wood
The woodland floor with meadow beyond; Scots pines at left
A plethora of bramble (wildlife habitat) at the centre of the wood
Ivy brings winter life to the woodland scene; its berries also provide winter food (see later photos) for birds
A mature beech at the eastern end of Leafy Lane Wood; the fallen branches are from another beech which fell in December 2017
Moss covers the trunk of a beech which fell in December 2017
More likely kitchen smoke than woodsmoke but Rudloe Arms was the area of the evocative aroma
Moss on the boundary dry stone wall at the Rudloe Arms
Snowdrops at the foot of a horse chestnut on the brow of Box Hill - 25th January 2022
The remains of the boundary dry stone wall at Rudloe Firs where we now see an open outlook beyond (many trees having been felled)
The eastern outlook from the brow of Box Hill in winter
A closer look at the maple from the previous photo; the Redcliffe Park Place estate, shrouded in mist, beyond
Rudloe Estate in a winter landscape
The A4 above Copenacre - ivy berries on the dry stone wall bounding Maidment's field
The sizeable patch of ivy on the dry stone wall above Copenacre
Park Place estate in a winter landscape
A new 'monstrous carbuncle' at Halfway Firs
Some of the firs of Halfway Firs
Dead ivy on a dry stone wall with the Copenacre estate beyond
Another monstrous carbuncle bounds the fields of the failed Stafford/Daw/Gladman planning application. One hopes that 'they' would have the good grace to restore the hundreds of metres of dry stone wall (see next pic) removed in anticipation of approval.
The stones of the removed dry stone walls lie in bags in Stafford's field
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