The story so far
From scrapyard,
to heartland
When the land was purchased, we found her in a sorry state. Amongst the over grown thicket of brambles and grape vines lay tonns of scrap metal, broken glass, plastic, breeze blocks, bricks, cars, cement mixers, wood and more.
With a small team of friends & volunteers, we managed to unearth and dispose of much of the scrap & detritus in the summer of 2022, anything that could be potentially useful was salvaged & stored for future use.
Let’s see,
the beginning…
On NYE of 2021 we welcomed our neighbours and friends for a gathering to celebrate acquiring the land. In the new year, the job of cleaning up the land began, a job that never seems to end. Behind every tree, shrub, overturned stone and crevice lay the remnants of scrap and human traces.
Thankfully, we have managed to make use of many of the scrap that was left behind. Breeze blocks and bricks have been a huge part of making usable spaces by becoming retaining walls, steps and supports for the decks and stages.
Work commenced on the central point of the land where we wanted to put the community fire pit. The beating hearth of the land that will host our voices, hearts and spirits.
On the first day, there was fire.
Evolution of ‘The Hearth’
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July 22'
Woodland Rising Festival
After three days of digging and laying bricks, we managed to have a usable fire pit. This fire pit presented the needs of the community and so was moulded and changed to fit them.
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October 22'
Samhain: A Feast for the Senses
During the build of the Samhain event we landscaped the entrance to the fire pit to make it a bit more accessible, but also added a nice planted border for aesthetic.
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May 23'
Welcome home party
A friend returned from Brazil and those that love him turn up to tell stories around the fire and sing songs in celebration. There is a clear message that this fire pit is not going to be big enough..
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May 23'
Volunteer Day
Doc and Mars got straight to work to double the capacity of the fire pit. The beautiful heat of the spring sun beat down on us as we moulded and shaped the walls. -
May 23'
Volunteer Planting Day
We replanted the herbs and flowers in the original walled garden and added a few extra’s. All birthed from a fantasy of folks picking their herbs for the tea and warming water on the fire.
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June 23'
Full Moon Sessions
We added extra added seating and bricked walls along the back to lean against. The new steps means there are two entrances to the fire pit which gives it a lovely flow.
The Pilgrims Arms
The way the spaces develop at Cobberton never ceases to amaze me. This photo shows the bank littered in scrap plastic, breeze-blocks, metal and more. There were old cement mixers, tools, cars, canisters with oil and tar, you name it.
We set about creating a flat space for the first Woodland Rising festival in 2022 where we could host a variety of workshops.
The flat terrace was levelled by hand. We built a temporary retaining wall that would eventually decompose when the permanent dry stone wall went in. This gave us time to allow the space to reveal how that area would function.
Once we established a need to extend the terrance, a team of 6 excavated into the bank. Enough rock was excavated that we were able to build another sitting terrace to the right of the Pilgrims Arms.
The extra space allowed for larger groups to be together in one place. The sight and feeling of so many making use of this space brings much appreciation for every pick axe take to the soil.
With the A-Frame up, it transformed our use of the land. Finally we could work the land in the winter with a warm space to cook food and dry our bones.
The new dry stone wall garden that now frames the terrace was planted with herbs, primroses, flowers and bulbs.
Amphitheatre
Our Amphitheatre is nestled in the bank of this magical woodland; a unique and cosy setting. Built by our team of volunteers, with a love for theatre and performance, the Amphitheatre has become one of our most unique features.
The idea is to have a space that can host theatre, performing arts, spoken word, musical performances and more.
What started off as a steep bank with extremely loose soil, thankfully managed to turn into an intimate terraced outdoor theatre bursting with character.
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Calllithump: Tales and Shanties from the Sea
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Samhain 22' The Cool School of Ghoul
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Amphitheatre Fire Pit
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Steps leading up to the fire pit.
Epic Events
The idea with all of our spaces is that they can be moulded and transformed for nearly every event. No matter what your idea is, we can make it happen. Follow us on instagram to watch for updates, events and more.
What’s on?
Current Projects
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Sacred Space
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Outdoor Kitchen
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Childrens Area
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Cacao Wagon
