16+/19+ Units

Rooks Hill Farm  - Vocational 16+ & 19+ Unit

Rooks Hill Farm covers 103 acres of land which includes a 12 acre organic apple orchard, 40 acres of woodland and 51 acres of pasture.

We have built a 100' x 44' metal barn, which gives us an indoor machinery and woodworking area. We have a quiet Cabin and relaxing garden. We have developed a market garden. The orchard and gardens allow us to carry out horticultural units in a varied and interesting range of soils and landscape. We have a small Pig unit and indoor Goat kidding pens. We also have a small Poultry section.

Coppicing
 We coppice our own woodland which has provided us with a  supply of logs and  wood for our green woodworking facility. We make our own fence posts from chestnut which is a great wood for putting in the ground as its sap has preservative qualities. After coppicing the number of plant species increases dramatically. The photo shows the new growth one year after coppicing.
Green Woodworking 
This is a form of wood craft that involves working with freshly cut timber that is left in its natural form and not cut and planed to a fixed flat shape. We have found that many of our students really enjoy working with this natural, tactile material. 

The photo shows a section of chestnut paling fencing produced by our students.
Horse Logging
The woodland at Rooks Hill Farm is on a steep bank, which means that mechanical means of timber retrieval are not easy.  Instead, we use horses to move the timber from the site.  This also has the advantage of being a more environmentally friendly method as horses do not compact the soil the way heavy machinery does. 

Please be aware when visiting that you ensure you have the correct site address.

 For the 16+/19+ Unit please attend:

Rooks Hill Farm, Bitchet Green, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0NG

Share by: