Snow, Hills and Saxons
A visit to Bishops Wood Environmental Centre.
A brave band of cyclists met at Snow Hill Station on Sunday the 18th of March.
"Snow" and "Hill" - the twin themes of our journey. Getting the bikes on the train
to Kidderminster was no problem, as there was a carriage with space for 5 or
so bikes.
When we arrived at "Kiddi", Chris Crean was handicapped by the addition of extra
picnic food to his panniers, and off we went. Tracey was the clear race-leader
for at least the first half of the ride, with me (Andy Pryke) in second place.
That was, until we hit the hills...
During the ride, we saw many "footpath closed" signs, but as most of the land
is used for arable farming, the only livestock we saw was half a dozen horses
who seemed quite disappointed that we didn't come over and say hello to them.
We arrived at the centre in light snow, after a climb up a hill which seemed
to approach the vertical. At the entrance, disinfectant soaked carpets were provided
to prevent foot and mouth contamination between visitors - there's no livestock
on site.
The centre itself shares land with a large National Grid substation. We approached
the centre through a small garden with two pools. The building itself is wooden,
almost circular, with a turf roof which is grazed by guinea pigs in the summer.
We were met by John Rhymer, the head of the centre, and had a very welcome
cup of tea.
John started his tour in the Solar Room. This is on the southern wall, glazed
with energy saving "Pilkington K" glass and houses the centre's library. The centre
started in a single portacabin in 1989. The main funding for the current building
was provided by the Local Education Authority (LEA)and the National Grid (NG).
The design criteria included energy efficiency and the use of local, sustainable
materials. The County Council architects now apply these to other projects such
as schools and Kidderminster library.
"Warmcel" insulation (made from recycled newspaper) is used throughout the building,
and heat is generated by sound-triggered electric heaters - there is no mains
gas. Solar heating is also used - both passively (through windows) and to heat
water. During the winter, the solar water heater typically reaches 19baC.
In the summer, a brick tower at the centre cools the centre using the "termite
mound principle". Windows at the top of the tower heat the walls, the air rises
out through vents and pulls in cool air from underneath the building. Throughout
the year, the bricks in the tower help stabilise temperatures by slowly absorbing
and releasing heat.
In the toilets, a mural shows "your place in the water cycle" and signs explain
the pro's and con's of using paper towels vs. hot air hand dryers - but leaves
the choice to you. Flush water is passed through reed beds, filters and ultra-violet
sterilisers, and re-used.
After a picnic lunch, we ventured outside the centre, visiting a house (well,
part of one) designed by Roger Dean, who also designed album covers for the band
"Yes". This was a bizarre fibre-glass construction, all curves and no straight
lines. In use it would be mostly hidden under an earth shelter, resembling "a
house for an intelligent rabbit" or perhaps "a hobbit hole".
The grounds also contain a straw bale building supplied with both solar and wind
generated electricity. This was built by students as part of a course on straw
bale building - very economical!
Willow sculptures in the grounds - including a Viking long boat with hub-caps
as shields - looked wonderful, and were also built on courses and by volunteers.
Springy willow rods littered the field as we walked to the Saxon hall, providing
fun for some of our group and pain for others.
The hall is based on an excavation of a real Saxon hall, with walls built using
various methods as an experiment. Visiting children use the hall for living history
courses. Here we learn the origin of the word "window" - Saxon buildings didn't
have chimneys, but did have "wind doors" at the top of the walls, which could be
opened to provide light and ventilation.
We returned to the centre rather cold, but soon warmed up as we watched birds
feeding through one way glass. Over tea and coffee we discussed what we'd seen
and how we could apply it to The Warehouse. John told us a lot about the practicalities
of creating an environmentally friendly centre while minimising costs.
We'd like to thank John Rhymer for his time and his wonderful tour. The centre
does have occasional open days, and can be used as a venue for seminars and conferences.
The contact number is 01299 250513.
Andy Pryke
ACTION:
This visit was part of the "Warehouse Futures" programme, to plan how our building
can become as environmentally friendly and useful as possible. If you know of
other local sites worth a visit, or funding opportunities, or have skills which
might be useful, please contact Andy Pryke on 0121 632 6909.