HISTORICALLY, ever since the advent of settled farming around 10,000 years ago, rural life was governed by the agricultural calendar.

Each season resonated with the sounds of agricultural life, be it ploughing, sowing, harvesting or fencing.

Each of these activities was a craft in its own right, a skill that took years to hone.

However, with the rise of towns and cities, the populace drifted away from the land in the hopes of better wages and an easier life.

Traditional skills went with them, and the old ways began to die out.

Today however, Fyne Court on the Quantock Hills again echoes to the sound of splitting trees, axe blows and draw knives, as the green woodworking skills needed to create traditional fencing are relearned.

The art of creating an effective cleft chestnut fence begins in the woodland, where selecting straight trees which are likely to cleanly split into two or more pieces is as much a part of the craft as using tools to form the wood.

This part of the process also provides a nature conservation benefit, as coppicing the sweet chestnut trees stimulates their growth.

Coppicing is an ancient technique which benefits a whole range of species that struggle to survive in mature woods.

These trees are then split into upright posts and horizontal rails, with the ends being formed by hand to sit in slots cut in the posts.

When the posts have been hand dug into the floor the fenceline is sturdier than any modern fence, and can last for up to 30 years.

The fence will be worked every Tuesday with volunteers, so why not drop by and see what historical industry looked like?