Project

Buscot and Coleshill: Nature's Estate

Looking through hanging tree branches from Badbury Clump and across an expanse of countryside towards the sunrise over the Buscot and Coleshill Estates, Oxfordshire. — Sunrise at Badbury Clump on Buscot and Coleshill Estate | © National Trust Images/John Miller

The Buscot and Coleshill: Nature's Estate project is a long-term commitment to transforming this historic National Trust estate and the wider area into a richer, more varied and more sustainable landscape where wildlife and farming thrive together, and where more people can enjoy better access to nature.

The project

The project will combine nature restoration and environmentally friendly farming on the estate, while improving the health of the rivers and wetlands across the wider region.

We'll establish a variety of different wildlife habitats at Buscot and Coleshill to support as many native insect, plant and animal species as possible.

By restoring the natural character and functioning of rivers, and creating new wetland areas, we'll add to the diversity of wildlife and open up a 'blue corridor' that stretches far beyond the estate.

Artistic impressions of landscape changes

Scroll through to see before and after illustrations of the changes we're hoping to make.

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An artistic impression of the current pasture farmed landscape at Buscot and Coleshill estate | © Roger Worthington, Plan Vision

Current landscape - pasture farming

Hedgerows are patchy in places, with few mature trees. Heavy clay soils are wet in winter, but parched in summer. Water pools and creates muddy patches that can't be farmed. Conifer woodland creates a harsh boundary surrounding the farmland. Pesticides and fertilizer are used.

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An artistic impression of the future pasture farmed landscape at Buscot and Coleshill estate | © Roger Worthington, Plan Vision

Future landscape - pasture farming

Woodlands are more diverse and support native species, with glades added. Trees are better connected across the landscape through agroforestry and healthy hedgerows. Water is held up on higher ground through tree planting, reducing soil compaction and increasing absorption. Wetland corridors create new habitats. Pasture is less intensively grazed, improving soil health and biodiversity.

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Artistic impression of future arable farmed landscape at Buscot and Coleshill estate | © Roger Worthington, Plan Vision

Future landscape - arable farming

Regenerative farming with better soil structure. Wider field margins with grassland, wildlife, and wildflowers to encourage pollinators. Wider, bushier hedgerows, with hedge laying utilised on rotation. Wet woodland planting and natural flood management along rivers and ditches providing new wetland habitat. Employment of countryside skills and crafts: coppicing, fencing and hurdle making.

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Artistic impression of current wetland and river habitats at Buscot and Coleshill estate | © Roger Worthington, Plan Vision

Current landscape - river and wetlands

Arable farming in the floodplain, using artificial fertiliser and nitrates. Flooding causing damage to houses and crops. High surface water run-off. Hedgerows are gappy in places. Mix of grassland and arable farmland with some public access along the Thames footpath.

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We'll provide opportunities for local communities to get involved in the project and will improve access and facilities for visitors so that more people can spend time getting closer to nature.

Most importantly, we'll partner with farmers to deliver these changes, building on the estate’s rural heritage and history of innovation to support them in transitioning to more nature-friendly practices and making their businesses more varied and more resilient.

We’re lucky that the Buscot and Coleshill estate is already a beautiful place to live, work and visit – and it's home to a passionate community, so we're starting from a good position. Farmers on the estate have cared for this land for generations and have always done their best to conserve it, and we’ve been working to enhance nature here for several years already.

This project will continue that work, supporting nature, businesses and the community so they can thrive together for generations to come.

February 2026

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Leaky dams

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Why this work needs to happen

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with many native species of plants and animals in severe decline or in danger of extinction.

The effects of climate change and the ways we manage our land for agriculture are having a huge impact on our wildlife and increasing the risk of drought and flooding. The winter of 2023 was one of the wettest on record.

Over the years, we've seen these changes reflected first-hand at Buscot and Coleshill, with plant, insect and animal species, including birds like tree sparrows and lapwings, becoming rarer and rarer sights and extremes of weather becoming far more frequent.

As part of the National Trust, the UKs largest conservation organisation, we're committed to protecting nature for everyone. The Trust has set ambitious targets for tackling climate change and the loss of species.

We want the work we do at Buscot and Coleshill to contribute to these targets both directly and by showing other landowners how they can make changes of their own.

A quote by Dan BillingtonNational Trust Warden and Ranger, Buscot and Coleshill, since 2002

A history of tradition and innovation

The Nature's Estate project is part of a long history of innovation at Buscot and Coleshill.

In the late 19th century, farming on the Buscot estate was transformed by the construction of an irrigation system, a pump-driven mill, gas and fertiliser works and a cutting-edge distillery serviced by a narrow-gauge railway. 

Over the last 40 years, Buscot and Coleshill has continued to innovate but with a focus on sustainability as well as improved productivity.

Skills from the past, fit for the future

We want to build on this innovation, working with farmers to find creative new ways to manage the land sustainably, underpinned by healthy ecosystems. But we're also determined to preserve traditional approaches and skills – and to keep them relevant as we use them to restore nature.

Through a new Heritage and Rural Skills Centre, we will champion the traditional skills that would historically have been used on a lowland estate, including hedgerow maintenance, coppicing, deer management, scything, milling and nature conservation.

Fields of buttercups flowering amid grass, with trees in the background, in June on the Buscot and Coleshill Estate, Wiltshire — Fields of buttercups on the Buscot and Coleshill Estate, Oxfordshire | © National Trust Images/David Sellman

Main aims of the project

The main aims of the project each contribute to and support the others. As the project continues, you'll be able to click through to read more about some of these key areas.

Nature recovery: Helping nature to recover and thrive is at the heart of the project. By establishing woodlands, extending hedgerows, restoring grasslands, improving wetlands and rivers and helping farmers to move towards nature-friendly approaches, we'll create a wide variety of connected wildlife habitats that will bring back native species and allow nature to flourish.Find out more
Healthier waterways: Working with farmers and other partners outside the National Trust, we'll restore the natural character and processes of the River Cole, improving water quality, increasing wildlife habitats and reducing the risk of flooding. We'll also create wetlands that will help join up habitats across the estate and the wider landscape, creating a 'blue corridor' that connects people and nature.
Farming for the future: Farmers are crucial partners in delivering improvements for wildlife, the environment and people. By unlocking funding and creating new opportunities, we'll support farmers in making space for nature and transitioning to more sustainable approaches that will help them to maintain thriving businesses.
Better access to nature: We want as many people as possible to be able to experience nature at Buscot and Coleshill and beyond. This project will not only create a more varied landscape with more wildlife, it will also make it easier to enjoy, with improved access and new visitor facilities on the estate and a 'blue corridor' of waterways extending through the region.
Working with communities and businesses: We want local people to be part of the project and to benefit from it. As well as supporting sustainable farming, we'll fund traditional rural skills and help to create new businesses on the estate. We'll provide vocational training opportunities for young people interested in the conservation sector and will be asking for more volunteers for 'citizen science' activities. We'll also partner with local schools and universities on education and research programmes.
Responding to climate change: Many of the steps we're taking to improve things for nature will also help to tackle the causes and effects of climate change. Restoring habitats and using regenerative farming practices will increase the amount of carbon captured from the air and make the land more resilient to drought and flooding.

Partnerships for change

The Buscot and Coleshill project is all about partnerships: with farmers on the estate and people in local communities, but also with the organisations that share our aims both nationally and locally, including those in the regional Cole and Thames river catchments.

We also want these partnerships to inspire more widespread change, by providing a blueprint for supporting nature at other National Trust places and by inviting other landowners to make similar changes.

We'll share what we learn with as many different partners as we can, to help create large-scale change for nature, the environment and people.

Project diary

February 2026

Leaky dams

February was another busy month working on the Nature’s Estate Project. We have completed approximately 350 metres of conservation-style hedge laying at Colleymore Farm, helping to improve valuable habitat for wildlife. Hedge laying improves the structure and longevity of hedges while supporting biodiversity by providing shelter and food for birds, insects, and small mammals.

Alongside this work, we also installed a series of leaky dams along a field ditch as part of our natural flood management work. These simple timber structures help to slow the flow of water during heavy rainfall, allowing it to spread and soak into the ground rather than rushing downstream. This approach helps reduce flood risk while also creating wetter habitats that benefit wildlife.

Progress also continued on the development of the estate’s new walking routes, which are now nearing completion. These routes will allow visitors to experience more of the landscape and learn more about our local history and habitats.

We’re pleased to share that the new walking routes will be officially launched soon, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to explore them soon.

Volunteers installing leaky dams at Buscot | © National Trust/Steve Sayers

Artist impressions of the landscape changes

Click through to see before and after illustrations of the changes we hope to achieve.

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Current landscape - pasture farming

An artistic impression of the current woodland and pasture farmed landscape. Hedgerows are patchy, with few mature trees. Heavy clay soils are wet in winter, hard and parched in summer. Water pools in wet corners and creates muddy patches.