The Bramley Link

‘’For 36km the Wey and Arun Canal generally remains in its rural state as it crosses the Surrey and
West Sussex countryside. However for 2km the route through Bramley was built on durig the 20th
Century, and a significant number of residential properties and infrastructure now block the route
of the original canal.’’
 Context
The Peak Oil Taskforce warns the UK’s decline of oil will hit within the next 5 years. Other predictions say we have 30.

How can communities respond to the challenges and Land +

opportunities of Peak Oil and Climate Change? Nature Built
Land Stewardship Environment
tenure +
community
TRANSITION CULTURES - future planning in: governance Permaculture Tools +
Food produce Design Technology
Low Energy consumption Finance + Principles
Economic growth Economics
Education for communities Culture +
Health + Education
Transportation Spiritual
Re-localizing communities through PERMACULTURE Wellbeing
Tanyard Basin
Bramley, Guildford
51°12'4.75"N
0°33'39.45"W
Aim
The restored canal enhances the area and increases the local community’s interaction and recreation with the site.

The Productive Woodland & Wildflower Meadow elements accelerate vegatative productivity and provide more wildlife habitats with
the ultimate goal to create an ecologically interesting & sustainable community.

Local schools will also benefit from a new healing garden and wetland education centre.

Objectives
Re-opening canal as a link to the South Coast and for leisure boating, weekend/residential
moorings.

Utilising the site as a learning resource, resilient and rich in biodiversity.

 Through correct plant management a productive woodland can be grown, emulating the natural ecosystems of the planet and working in harmony with nature.

Restored Canal
Wildflower meadow attracts birds, bees and other insects

Healing Garden Productive Woodland

Tanyard
Basin
Healing Garden incorporates a planting scheme of natural healing plants.

Compact Wetland Wildflower Meadow

Constructed wetland incorporates reed beds and other wetland plants, creating new habitats and ecosystems.
 Tall trees on site

Ash Alder Crack Willow Elder Walnut English Oak

Fraxinus excelsior Alnus glutinosa Salix fragilis Sambucus nigra Juglans regia Quercus robur
 Small trees + shrubs on site

Field Maple Hazel Hawthorn Crab apple Ivy Blackberries

Acer campestre Corylus avellana Crataegus monogyna Malus sylvestrus Hedera Helix Rubus fruticosus
 Vegetative survey

Scatterings of Ash (Fraxinus excelsior), Willow species (Salix) ,

Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) & Oak (Quercus species)

Walnut Hawthorn Sycamore

Hazel (Corylus avellana), Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) & Field
maple (Acer campestre) grown in hedgerows and newly coppiced.

Burdock (Arctium lappa), Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis),

Horse tails (Equisetum) & nettles amongst adult trees Oak Bindweed Nettles

Nettle (Urtica dioica) overgrowth

on site of original canal

Horsetails Coppiced Hazel Burdock

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 Existing site key

Tanyard Basin Existing Trees Fence

Original Canal Road Bridleway

Coppiced Wood Pipeline Pump

Cranleigh Waters Path

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 Proposed site key

Tanyard Basin Productive Woodland Coppiced Wood

New Canal Wildflower meadow Path

Constructed Wetland Healing Garden Canal boats

+ Education Centre

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 Proposed site section

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 Site Composition

Proposed Canal + constructed wetland Current coppiced woodland + proposed Wildflower meadow + Healing garden
Productive woodland
 Proposed site planting
Tall + Pioneer Species Small trees + Shrubs Woodland Plants
Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra) Field Maple (Acer campestre) Wild Garlic (Allium ursinium)

Silver Birch (Betula pendula) Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris)

Crab Apple (Malus sylvestrus)

Lemon Balm (Melissa officianalis)

Red Oak (Quercus rubra) Golden + Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurelus + p. nigra)

Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata)

Walnut (Juglans regia) Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus)
Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Sorrel (Rumex acestosa)
Bird Cherry + Wild Cherry (Prunus padium + p. avium) Hazel (Corylus avellana)
Bramble fruit (Rubus fruticosus +
rubus idaeus)

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 Tall + Pioneer Species - 10 years
Tall + Pioneer Species Wych Elm: 500 year lifespan. Less affected by Dutch Elm disease as English Elm. Fast growing. Selected for stately aethetic & trial plantings for re-introduction.
Young leaves & immature fruit are edible.
Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra)
Silver Birch: 90 year lifespan. Tough and fast growing, it has associations with 229 insect species therefore an important conservation species. Sap can be used
Silver Birch (Betula pendula) to make a drink, tea from the leaves, essential oil from the inner bark. Outer bark is waterproof and can be used to make tiels & vessels while young
branches are good for thatching and fences.
Red Oak (Quercus rubra) Red Oak: Selected for this site for its rich autumnal colour. It grows rapidly and tolerates many soils. Oaks are renowned for being an excellent conservation tree,
with over 200 associated insects. Acorns ripen in spring and eaten by deer, squirrels and birds. They can also be roasted and used as a coffee
Walnut (Juglans regia) substitue. Responds well to coppicing. wood is valued for furniture making.
Walnut: Only a few selected for planting on site as they have an inhibitory effect on the growth of nearby plants. A beautiful tree with a large canopy. Nuts can
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) be eaten and used as a wood poplish. Leaves can be crushed and used as an insect repellant. Wood is valuable in furniture making.
Ash: 200 year lifespan. Has a light canopy and is the first to lose leaves in autumn so good for the woodland. 41 associated insects. Great for coppicing with a
Bird Cherry + Wild Cherry (Prunus padium + good flammable wood. Wood can also be used for tool making, unbrella handles, hockey sticks etc.
p. avium) Bird + Wild Cherry: Both trees selected for their flowers + fruit and attraction to birds and insects. Wild cherry is known to live up to 200 years and is very fast grow-
-ing. Both are happy in woods and hedgerows. They can be coppiced and the dense timber is good for firewood. Wild cherry wood is well rated.

10

Wych Elm Silver Birch Red Oak Walnut Ash Bird Cherry Wild Cherry
 Tall + Pioneer Species - Mature (50yrs+)
Tall + Pioneer Species
Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra)

Silver Birch (Betula pendula)

Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

Walnut (Juglans regia)

Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)

Bird Cherry + Wild Cherry (Prunus padium +

p. avium)

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Wych Elm Silver Birch Red Oak Walnut Ash Bird Cherry Wild Cherry
 Wildflower meadow
Depending on the Ph and fertility levels of the soils in the proposed site, Provides a gorgeous habitat benefitting wildlife and butterflies and also
the wildflower meadow can function very well alongside the woodland a good production source of organic matter.

Sheep Sorrel Red Campion Cuckoo flower Red Clover Harebell Pignut Meadow sweet
Rumex acetosella Silene dioica Cardamine pratensis Trifolium pratense Campanula persicifolia Banium bulbocastanum Filipendula ulmaria

30cm tall, most soils, Often found in wood Liked by orange-tip Great for meadow, Not to be confused with Grows 60cm tall, root Grows 1.2 m tall, long
food plant for cater -land and shady areas. butterfly. 45cm tall, 60cm tall. Successfully English bluebells. 1.2m matures late summer, history of medicinal use
leaves and flowers self-sowing in full sun, tall + grows well in full sun delicious taste like sweet – dried leaves as flav-
-pillars. Leaves great Likes damp soils. Vivid
up to 30cm tall huge car- chestnuts, Seed and ouring for herb tea, or
salad addition and flowers from May - Sep hot cress-like flavour, draws in lots of bees
pets of growth in suitable flowers used as cumin sweetener for other teas,
thirst quenching eat -tember. good in salads. + is food sources for substitute, leaves as Flowers as flavouring in
conditions. Excellent pa-
on hot day. Can sur caterpillars. Young parsley like garnish. alcoholic drinks, also in-
per glue from sap in bulb
-vive mild winter. leaves + flowering and stem. Edible leaves to a syrup used in cool-
heads eaten raw or and flowers with delicate ing drinks and fruit salads,
cooked. Sweet herb sweetness good in salads. essential oil from flower
tea made from fresh Can be harvested during buds in perfumery.
or dried flowers. Dried winter.
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leaves add vanilla flav
-our to cakes.
 Healing garden
A ‘Healing Garden’ with a planting scheme of natural healing Local school children are encouraged to see, touch and smell
plants. the variety of plants grown within the garden.

Local timber from the site is used to construct the round structure of the Healing Garden.
The spiling style is in keeping with rural fence structures ensuring it fits in with the environment.

Peppermint Basil Celery Nettle Chicory Silver Birch

Mentha × piperita Ocimum basilicum Apium graveolens Urtica dioica Cichorium intybis Betula Pendula

St Johns Wort Rosemary Echinacea Aloe Vera Asparagus Camomile Dandelion Lavender Garlic
Hypericum perforatum Rosmarinus officinalis Echinacea angustifolia Aloe Vera Asparagus officianalis Chamaemelum nobile Taraxacum officianale Lavandula officianalis Allium sativum

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 Wetland Education
The site currently holds the opportunity for wetland creation. This wetland habitat creation is an
ecological bonus and improvement to the area, leading towards an SSSI.

The proposed wetland runs the length of approximately 100 metres and is situated to the east of the canal. Wetland
plants follow the nature of the site’s productivity and therefore, is edible, usable or provides nourishment to wildlife

The Wetland Education Centre will be constructed from

local coppiced timber and outer walls will be woven using the
same ‘spiling’ effect used in countryside fences and hedgerows.
This ensures the structure remains considerate to its surround-
ings and can be constructed and deconstructed relatively
easily, without much damage to the environment.

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 Wetland Vegetation
Reed Mace: Native grass growing in shallow waters, forming excellent wildlife habitat, up to 3.5m tall. Exceedingly produc-
tive root crop. EDIBLE: Roots can be eaten raw or cooked, ground into a flour, used as a soup thickener. Young shoots
eaten like asparagus in spring. Immature flowering stems eaten raw or cooked. Seed roasted produces nutty flavour. Pollen
used as protein rich additive to bread&flour. NON-EDIBLE: Autumn stems and leaves used for weaving, good source of
biomass - compost heap & fuel source. Fibres for paper. Plant used as grey-water & sewage treatment.
Watercress: Prefers slow flowing water. Grows in mild winters so harvesting year-round. Leaves often used in salads and
seeds can be ground into a powder and used as a mustard.
Water Fringe: Native plant whose stems grow up to 1.5m long, floating on the water with leaves it looks like a small waterlily.
Makes a good compost material. Flowers, leaves and leaf stems can be cooked like spinach.
Bogbean: Native plant growing up to 30cm tall and 60cm wide. flowers very beautiful. Main reason for including this spe-
cies is that leaves are an extremely effective bitter tonic for digestive system and proven to benefit the treatment of mus-
cular weakness in M.E.
Marsh Mallow: Grows up to 1.2m tall and 60cm wide and is very tolerant. EDIBLE: Leaves & flowers can be used in salads
from late spring til late summer, raw or cooked. Root eaten raw or cooked. Used to be dried, ground & moistened to
create traditional ‘marshmallow’ sweet. Tea made from the flowers & root. NON-EDIBLE: dried root can be used by teeth-
ing children. Stem fibre used in paper making. Glue made from the root and an oil from the seed used in paints and var-
nishes.
Swamp Milkweed: Grows 1m or more tall. Young edible shoots cooked and used as asparagus substitute. Older stem tips
used as spinach. Flowers rich in nectar and attract a lot of insects. Non-edible uses may not be used today but it is a very
productive and interesteing plant.

Reed Mace Watercress Water Fringe Bogbean Marsh Mallow Swamp Milkweed
Typha latifolia Nasturtium officinale Nymphoides Peltata Menyanthes trifoliata Althea Officinalis Asclepias incanarta

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Current site
Site montage 1
Site montage 2
Current site South Facing
Site montage 1
Site montage 2