Green Wood Centre
Encyclopedia
Green Wood Centre in Coalbrookdale
, Shropshire
, is a national centre for the revival of the coppice industry in the United Kingdom. It aims to support native broadleaved woodlands through the teaching of traditional woodland management skills and greenwood crafts.
It is a venture of the Small Woods Association (formerly called the Greenwood Trust), a registered charity which was formed in 1984 with the help of many volunteers and specialists who were concerned about the environment.
Green Wood Centre also houses the Ironbridge Woodland Experience for visitors. Located close to the Ironbridge Gorge
World Heritage Site
, the Green Wood Centre is the first establishment in Shropshire to achieve a Gold award in the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
. The design incorporates high levels of energy efficiency and an innovative timber structure utilising local timber.
The main support columns are sweet chestnut
tree trunks concreted into place. Upper structure are peeled ash logs that could be replaced if necessary. Other species used in the College are Douglas fir (window frames and external cladding), European larch (wall studs, ceiling rafters and also external cladding) and English oak for the window sub sills.
Woodland College is used as an office space, a teaching room for woodland craft courses, a conference venue and for community events (such as the monthly music night). Woodland College holds 70 people seated and 100 standing. In the summer of 2007 Green Wood Centre gained its marriage licence to perform weddings in the Woodland College, and many "woodland weddings" have taken place.
Solar radiation - The orientation of the building enables the optimm usage of solar energy entering the building.
Heat exchangers – The heat exchangers take the heat from outgoing air and preheat the cold fresh incoming air, which is then sent around the building. It is calculated that the heat exchangers will maintain an average temperature of 11 degrees Celsius, which means that only a small use of the heating system is needed to top up the building's requirements.
Windows – The windows were made by Green Wood Centre, incorporating double-glazed
units and low emissivity glass, together with insulated spacer bars and extra deep window frames. The windows thus allow more heat in over the year than they let escape.
Heat storage – The internal walls are built using dense concrete blocks in order to store heat gained during warmer periods and retain warmth in the colder periods. This helps to maintain the temperature inside the building while the outside temperature fluctuates.
site. The once-derelict Station House has been restored and now houses the offices for Green Wood Centre and the head office for the Small Woods Association.
Trains still pass by, ferrying coal to Ironbridge Power Station
.
in Bromsgrove
, Worcestershire
.
A display of coracles is held in the Cruck Barn for the general public to view. Coracles have a long history in Ironbridge. As there was a toll for using the bridge, locals would use a coracle instead to cross the river. They were also used to collect driftwood and, if the floods had trapped an animal, the coraclemen would paddle across to net them, giving them a reputation as poachers.
in a Froling 50 kW Log Burner. A heated main runs the length of the site heating all four main buildings. The boiler is situated in a boiler house attached to the Cruck Barn. The boiler burns around one wheelbarrow's worth of logs a day during the spring and autumn but the load varies between summer and winter.
Hot water passes through the burn chamber and is stored in a buffer tank in the Cruck Barn. The well-insulated water can stay hot for a week. The water travels along the pipes to the buildings where the thermostatic controls have been switched on. The logs are sourced from local coppiced woods that are currently being restored by Green Wood Centre volunteers.
The system was installed in December 2005 and since then has not only reduced considerably the amount of electricity used on site but also has helped the restoration of local woodlands and improved conditions for biodiversity and timber production. The system was installed with the help of a grant given by the Onyx Environmental Trust.
sewage system was installed at Green Wood Centre. A reed bed system purifies and recycles all waste water from toilets, sinks and showers. It avoids the need for an expensive water cleansing and processing through a mains system. The purified water leads to a clean pond in the Goose Pen.
Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. This is where iron ore was first smelted by Abraham Darby using easily mined "coking coal". The coal was drawn from drift mines in the sides...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, is a national centre for the revival of the coppice industry in the United Kingdom. It aims to support native broadleaved woodlands through the teaching of traditional woodland management skills and greenwood crafts.
It is a venture of the Small Woods Association (formerly called the Greenwood Trust), a registered charity which was formed in 1984 with the help of many volunteers and specialists who were concerned about the environment.
Green Wood Centre also houses the Ironbridge Woodland Experience for visitors. Located close to the Ironbridge Gorge
Ironbridge Gorge
The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the River Severn in Shropshire, England.Originally called the Severn Gorge, the gorge now takes its name from its famous Iron Bridge, the first iron bridge of its kind in the world, and a monument to the industry that began there...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, the Green Wood Centre is the first establishment in Shropshire to achieve a Gold award in the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
Woodland College
Woodland College, designed for the Green Wood Centre by architects Simmonds Mills, is an example of sustainable architectureSustainable architecture
Sustainable architecture is a general term that describes environmentally conscious design techniques in the field of architecture. Sustainable architecture is framed by the larger discussion of sustainability and the pressing economic and political issues of our world...
. The design incorporates high levels of energy efficiency and an innovative timber structure utilising local timber.
The main support columns are sweet chestnut
Sweet Chestnut
Castanea sativa is a species of the flowering plant family Fagaceae, the tree and its edible seeds are referred to by several common names such Sweet Chestnut or Marron. Originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is now widely dispersed throughout Europe and parts of Asia, such as...
tree trunks concreted into place. Upper structure are peeled ash logs that could be replaced if necessary. Other species used in the College are Douglas fir (window frames and external cladding), European larch (wall studs, ceiling rafters and also external cladding) and English oak for the window sub sills.
Woodland College is used as an office space, a teaching room for woodland craft courses, a conference venue and for community events (such as the monthly music night). Woodland College holds 70 people seated and 100 standing. In the summer of 2007 Green Wood Centre gained its marriage licence to perform weddings in the Woodland College, and many "woodland weddings" have taken place.
Woodland College efficiency
The Woodland College has several environmentally-friendly features.Solar radiation - The orientation of the building enables the optimm usage of solar energy entering the building.
Heat exchangers – The heat exchangers take the heat from outgoing air and preheat the cold fresh incoming air, which is then sent around the building. It is calculated that the heat exchangers will maintain an average temperature of 11 degrees Celsius, which means that only a small use of the heating system is needed to top up the building's requirements.
Windows – The windows were made by Green Wood Centre, incorporating double-glazed
Insulated glazing
Insulated glazing also known as double glazing are double or triple glass window panes separated by an air or other gas filled space to reduce heat transfer across a part of the building envelope....
units and low emissivity glass, together with insulated spacer bars and extra deep window frames. The windows thus allow more heat in over the year than they let escape.
Heat storage – The internal walls are built using dense concrete blocks in order to store heat gained during warmer periods and retain warmth in the colder periods. This helps to maintain the temperature inside the building while the outside temperature fluctuates.
The Station House
Green Wood Centre is situated on the old Coalbrookdale railway stationCoalbrookdale railway station
Coalbrookdale railway station is a disused station at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire, England. The station survives situated on the freight-only line between Buildwas Junction and Lightmoor Junction...
site. The once-derelict Station House has been restored and now houses the offices for Green Wood Centre and the head office for the Small Woods Association.
Trains still pass by, ferrying coal to Ironbridge Power Station
Ironbridge Power Station
The Ironbridge power stations refers to a series of two coal-fired power stations which have occupied a site on the banks of the River Severn at Buildwas in Shropshire, England. The current Ironbridge B power station is operated by E.ON UK...
.
The Cruck Barn
The Cruck framed or Coracle Barn was constructed in 1988. The barn is made from wood sourced from the Gorge. The frame is made from oak, ash and elm whilst the roof is covered with chestnut shingles and the wall panels are woven hazel and sweet chestnut. The design is based upon a Herefordshire cruck barn at Avoncroft Museum of Historic BuildingsAvoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings
Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings is an open-air museum of rescued buildings which have been relocated to its site in Stoke Heath, a district of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England. Founded in 1963 and opened in 1967, the museum was conceived following the dismantling of a 15th-century...
in Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
A display of coracles is held in the Cruck Barn for the general public to view. Coracles have a long history in Ironbridge. As there was a toll for using the bridge, locals would use a coracle instead to cross the river. They were also used to collect driftwood and, if the floods had trapped an animal, the coraclemen would paddle across to net them, giving them a reputation as poachers.
Wood fuel at Green Wood Centre
Green Wood Centre uses wood fuelWood fuel
Wood fuel is wood used as fuel. The burning of wood is currently the largest use of energy derived from a solid fuel biomass. Wood fuel can be used for cooking and heating, and occasionally for fueling steam engines and steam turbines that generate electricity. Wood fuel may be available as...
in a Froling 50 kW Log Burner. A heated main runs the length of the site heating all four main buildings. The boiler is situated in a boiler house attached to the Cruck Barn. The boiler burns around one wheelbarrow's worth of logs a day during the spring and autumn but the load varies between summer and winter.
Hot water passes through the burn chamber and is stored in a buffer tank in the Cruck Barn. The well-insulated water can stay hot for a week. The water travels along the pipes to the buildings where the thermostatic controls have been switched on. The logs are sourced from local coppiced woods that are currently being restored by Green Wood Centre volunteers.
The system was installed in December 2005 and since then has not only reduced considerably the amount of electricity used on site but also has helped the restoration of local woodlands and improved conditions for biodiversity and timber production. The system was installed with the help of a grant given by the Onyx Environmental Trust.
Reed bed system
In 1990 a reed bedReed bed
Reed beds are natural habitats found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions andestuaries. Reed beds are part of a succession from young reed colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground...
sewage system was installed at Green Wood Centre. A reed bed system purifies and recycles all waste water from toilets, sinks and showers. It avoids the need for an expensive water cleansing and processing through a mains system. The purified water leads to a clean pond in the Goose Pen.
Courses
Green Wood Centre has been running courses since it opened twenty years ago. Now the Centre runs approximately 60 woodland craft courses and coppice courses a year.Volunteering
Green Wood Centre runs a joint volunteer project with Severn Gorge Countryside Trust, who own most of the woodland around the Ironbridge Gorge. Volunteers are instructed in coppicing, scrub removal, deer fencing, tree planting, step building and woodland management.Cherry's
Cherry's cafe is now open for business, serving quality vegetarian dishes and cakes and beverages.See also
- CiderCiderCider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
- CoracleCoracleThe coracle is a small, lightweight boat of the sort traditionally used in Wales but also in parts of Western and South Western England, Ireland , and Scotland ; the word is also used of similar boats found in India, Vietnam, Iraq and Tibet...
- Basket making
- Hedge layingHedge layingHedge laying is a country skill, typically found in the United Kingdom and Ireland, which, through the creation and maintenance of hedges, achieves the following:* the formation of livestock-proof barriers;...
- CoppicingCoppicingCoppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level...
- IronbridgeIronbridgeIronbridge is a settlement on the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, in Shropshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of The Gorge, in the borough of Telford and Wrekin...
- Ironbridge GorgeIronbridge GorgeThe Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the River Severn in Shropshire, England.Originally called the Severn Gorge, the gorge now takes its name from its famous Iron Bridge, the first iron bridge of its kind in the world, and a monument to the industry that began there...
- TelfordTelfordTelford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...