Hedgerow restoration underway at Wimpole Estate

Restoring hedgerows across the estate

Covering more than 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres), Wimpole Estate includes a grand mansion, parkland, gardens and a working farm. Hedgerows are a defining feature of this landscape, shaping how the countryside looks, functions and supports wildlife.

Over the course of the project, around 10 per cent of existing hedges will be coppiced, 6.7 kilometres will be laid, and 13.8 kilometres of new hedgerow will be planted, equating to approximately 83,000 native trees and shrubs across the estate.

Winter planting and restoration work

This winter (November 2025 to February 2026), three National Trust property rangers and a team of volunteers, supported by specialist contractors, have been carrying out the first stages of the work.

During the winter period they have:

• planted more than 30,000 trees

• laid 1.6 kilometres of hedgerow

• coppiced a further 700 metres

This work is helping reconnect habitats across the estate while restoring historic field boundaries.

Why hedgerows matter

Hedgerows play a crucial role in the countryside, acting as wildlife corridors, sheltering crops and livestock and supporting biodiversity. These historic, living landscape features require active management to maximise their value for wildlife and the wider landscape.

The work across Wimpole Estate is helping hedgerows flourish, encouraging flowering and fruiting and the growth of dense, healthy structure that provides food and shelter for wildlife.

Healthy hedgerows support birds, pollinators and small mammals, while also creating safe routes through the landscape. They provide vital habitat for red-listed farmland birds such as Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer and Linnet, as well as winter food for visiting species including Fieldfares and Redwings.

Traditional countryside skills

Dave Hassall, Farm & Countryside Manager at Wimpole Estate, said:

“At Wimpole, many hedgerows have developed uneven structure over time, with gaps and leggy growth that limit how well they function as part of the wider landscape.

We are using well established, traditional techniques to restore our network of hedgerows across the estate. Laying and coppicing hedgerows can seem quite extreme, but the hedges quickly grow back bigger and better than before.

Each section of hedge that we restore makes the whole network of bigger and better, improving how the landscape functions as a connected system and making it more resilient to our changing climate.”

Looking after Wimpole’s countryside

The hedgerow restoration programme at Wimpole is a practical example of long-term countryside management in action, delivering lasting benefits for wildlife, farm productivity and the historic landscape across the estate.

Visitors can explore the wider estate throughout the year, with miles of footpaths winding through parkland, farmland and woodland.