Land based careers day at Holkham Hall Tuesday 24th April.
We were welcomed by Lady Leicester who spoke to staff and students. There was a short introduction to the day which included a short history of the hall.
Our first visit was to the walled garden where the head gardener talked about the history of the gardens, why they were built and the food that was grown when the hall was built, this was followed by a tour of each garden to see how they had been transformed in recent years.
Our second visit was to Egmere farm. We were met by the farm managed who talked about the crops that are grown on the farm. Students were shown the barley store where the seed is stored before sowing. The farm has an anaerobic digester which produces gas for the national grid.
After lunch our third visit was to the foresters. The students had a question and answer session about forestry before being shown the chipping barn were chipped wood from the estate is stored until it is taken to the biomass boiler which provides heating for the estate. Students had the chance to hold a chainsaw which they found very heavy. Students learned that the forest is self-sustaining despite using 4.5 tonnes of wood each year.
Our last stop was to the gamekeepers dressed in traditional tweed trousers, waistcoats and bowler hats which we leaned were originally designed for the gamekeepers at Holkham the name was changed when the Bowler brothers started to produce the hats. The students were shown chicks that they could hold, different deer skulls and antlers, traps used around the estate and the cold store where culled meat is stored.