Buscot and Coleshill: Nature's Estate

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. 

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. 

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 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.