Bringing you the best from the Estate this July

Life on the estate

During their recent work to repair our dry stone walls, our Maintenance Team discovered a pocket watch inside the wall itself! They have also found coins, clay pipes and a series of other artefacts during repair work. It’s amazing to see items like this and to be reminded of those that came before us. 

Read about the relics

We are very lucky to regularly welcome award-winning photographer, Pete Seaward, to the Estate to capture the Park and its abundance of wildlife throughout the seasons. You can find some examples of Pete’s amazing work in the new Stables Exhibition at Blenheim Palace, with lots of it captured from his mobile hide!

Read about Pete

We are looking for a new Shepherd to join our Estate Team. They will manage our flock of sheep and herd of British White Cattle in the setting of our amazing World Heritage Site.
We’re looking for somebody who wants to make a positive impact on the environment through farming, and who can help us deliver our ambitious land strategy.

Shepherd Vacancy

Father’s Day may have come and gone, but our resident British White bull, Sebastian, saw to it that he’ll be fathering calves this year a little earlier than we had planned… he’s let himself into our neighbouring field of cows in High Park. This will bring our next calving season forward by a few weeks, and we’re expecting at least one new calf from the eight cows Sebastian had let himself in with. It’s a consequence of taking a more hands-off approach to rearing our cattle!

Sponsor a Tree

Since we launched our tree sponsorship scheme we are delighted to have delivered memorable gifts to so many people, for birthdays, anniversaries, dedications and gifts alike. We are on our way to planting 1,000 trees within our World Heritage Site. With your help, we will plant a variety of native species to protect and support our precious ecological system. Sponsoring a tree will help us plant and care for one tree, within our 2,000 acre World Heritage Site – which you can visit for years to come, knowing you’ve had a special part to play in its protection.

Sponsor a free today

Our Homes

We are thrilled to be nominated in not one but two categories for the Estates Gazette Future of Real Estate Award 2021. Our community at Park View is a finalist in the ‘Future of Housing’ category, and our partnership with West Oxfordshire District Council has earned a place as finalist in the ‘Public/Private Partnership’ category. 

Read about the Awards

Last week was Rural Housing Week, an annual event organised by The Rural Housing Alliance (RHA). The event is designed to celebrate the great work being done across the country to provide affordable homes in rural areas. We are proud to have been featured as a case study on their website for our affordable homes model at Park View.

Read the Feature

In your Garden

July is the month to cut your lavender for propagation or drying. If you love the scent of lavender make sure to pick the newly opened flowers for the best fragrance, ideal for keeping spaces sweet smelling. Lavender is also a great garden plant for cuttings as they’re easy to root and you’ll have lots of new plants in no time, RHS have some top tips for propagating.

All about Lavender

It’s not too late to get planting your very own vegetables, there’s plenty of options for gardens big and small. Lettuce and other salad are great for easy to grow veg which you can enjoy all summer long, and it’s not too late for carrots which can give you an autumn crop for salads and roasts alike!

Veg to sow in July

In the Kitchen

Rhubarb, as well as being a garden favourite, is a kitchen one too. If you want to spice up your crumble or splash out with a chutney, then BBC have nearly 50 recipes using this classic ingredient. Our favourite is a refreshing white chocolate mousse with poached rhubarb, decadent enough for any occasion and light enough for any summer evening.

Rhubarb Recipes

If you’re still feeling patriotic from the weekend a classic Victoria Sponge Cake might be just the thing to enjoy with your cuppa. Light, fluffy sponge with rich strawberry jam and buttercream sandwiched in-between is a perfect pick me up. Our friends over at Searcys have a simple recipe for bakers of any experience.

Victoria Sponge Recipe