Welcome to The Sanctuary Cornwall and our new blog page…
Karen writes the first instalment of our background history and how our ideas developed into what you see today!
We got here so gradually, it took time to realise what had happened…….
I had been living in this village of Golant for 13 years, David for 8, and we had been together for 3 years, when we bought 12 acres from a neighbour – a stone’s throw from where we were living.
I had known the land since I moved to what is now our house – I used to walk the dog here – and dream….. I had been inspired by the story of the MacDowell Colony in America. Edward MacDowell was a composer and conductor, and in 1896 he and his wife Marian bought a farm in New Hampshire and eventually turned it into a nurturing retreat for Artists (read the whole story at www.macdowellcolony.org). I dreamt of a place that would welcome people and surround them with peace, quiet and space to think, to be: to strengthen the rapidly declining link between modern life and the natural environment. Being a self employed landscape gardener and artist was never going to produce this – anyway, at the time of my dreaming, the land firmly belonged to our neighbour, and I was simply happy to have her permission to walk it and enjoy.
David had started a kayaking business in the village as a retirement project; I had been involved from the start, and slowly, slowly we increased our business, moving to rent a Boatshed in the village right by the water’s edge, and developing a reputation for guided tours that highlighted the wildlife, nature and history of the Fowey Estuary. We started the first river clean ups very early on, and slowly by word of mouth, social media, we built up an enthusiastic following of volunteers to help us, organising them twice a year, providing kayaks, equipment, pasties and cake for everyone! David had spent his life in the travel business – first, as an international tour guide and then setting up his own travel agency. He loves people and their stories, finding them endlessly fascinating and loves showing them around
In 2015 our neighbour decided to sell up and move to be nearer to family. She initially put the house and land separately for sale, with the land divided in several parcels. We made an offer for one field, wanting to develop a wild flower habitat, and plant an orchard. Our offer was accepted and we were very excited, making plans. One day, I suggested to David that he might like to walk through the rest of the land, as he was not familiar with it, so we did a tour of what we could actually access – so much was by now hugely overgrown and barred by 10ft high brambles. We walked down what is now the Sanctuary field (hayfield) and came to the clearing surrounded by Birch trees and the fiery autumn shades of Rowan, Dogwood, Guelder and Spindle. He didn’t say much, but I knew it had created a huge impact on him. Several days later he suggested that we offer to buy the whole 12 acres, which didn’t come as a surprise – I had seen the land work it’s magic….. It took one email, and 30 seconds later a 3 letter response ‘YES’! We’re glad to report that in the end she decided not to move house, and has been a valued source of information, history and encouragement to us.
Six weeks later, and the land was ours. We walked up the first Sunday after signing, armed with secateurs, loppers and saws and got to work tackling what is now the Forest Garden (Phil’s Field). It took 5 months of work to finally clear the 3 acres. We used a strimmer with a hedge trimmer attachment – David sliced through the wall of brambles, I raked, rolled and burnt as we went. The brambles had grown up through the 12 yr old woodland trees, through and down the other side, only to root and start again! I spent many hours pulling the old, tough stems out of the trees, ruining umpteen pairs of gloves in the process. We repeated this process over the next months, right through the 12 acres, clearing and discovering glades, rides and trees. There was a barn – wood framed and part concrete, part corrugated metal, and completely covered at the front by more brambles. It did actually overlook the river, but it was built facing into the hillside, open on that side, and closed toward the river. We used it for tools, lots of wood chopping, splitting and storage, and gathered anything we found buried in hedgerows etc…
Slowly, slowly an idea formed………
