When I set off to photograph Northampton's Eleanor Cross I imagined a hot uphill walk beside the London Road.
But that road turned out to be fringed by woodland, so I could make my way along shaded paths.
These woods are part of the Delapre Abbey estate and this part of it became somewhat degraded after the second world war. A notice explains that they are being restored to how they would have been in the late 1930s.
The abbey itself is still undergoing restoration work, but - importantly - the cafe was open on Saturday.
Thank you for featuring our woods.
ReplyDeleteThere is a careful balance between restoration and allowing nature to take its course. The course we are following is to keep the area free of litter and paths clear to walk but otherwise things like fallen trees are left as they are to form new habitats.
The area behind the cross was once open so that there was a view from the cross to the abbey, but over the years this has become infilled with self set trees. There are arguments on both sides for opening up the view again or leaving it as it is.
As you said, the intention is to re-create a grassy glade in the woods close to the cross, with seeding this autumn.