Not the hedge you might expect
In most of England a hedge means a line of shrubs and trees, trimmed and sometimes laid to form a barrier. In Cornwall the word usually means something else. A Cornish hedge is a bank, built of stone and earth, with a stone face on each side and a flat or rounded top. Plants grow on it, which is how it earns the name “hedge”, but the structure itself is the wall.
Seen from a lane, a Cornish hedge can look like a green wall. Look closer and you will see the stones set carefully into the face, often leaning slightly inward, with soil packed behind them.
How a hedge is built
Methods differ across the county, and local styles exist, but the general principle is consistent.
- A stone footing, often with larger stones laid at the base.
- Two faces of stone, set with the stones tilted so that rain runs back into the bank and the structure leans into the earth.
- A core of earth and small stones between the faces, which is packed down as the hedge rises.
- A top, or capping, of turf or soil, which may be left to grow wild or be planted.
The patterns of stone vary with the local rock. In granite country the stones tend to be large and rounded. Where slaty rock is available, the stones may be laid in neat, flat courses, and in some places stones are set at an angle in a herringbone pattern. Names for these styles differ between sources.
Building and repairing hedges is a skilled craft, and people who do this work are sometimes called hedgers. A hedge can last for a very long time if it is looked after, but it can fail when stones are loosened by roots, burrowing animals, frost or traffic.
How old are they?
Some Cornish field boundaries are believed to be very old. In parts of west Cornwall, patterns of small fields and banks have been linked by archaeologists with prehistoric and Iron Age farming, and on the moors there are traces of older field systems alongside later boundaries. At the same time, many hedges are far more recent, built when land was enclosed or reclaimed in the medieval and later periods. A boundary that looks ancient may have been rebuilt many times, and individual claims about a particular hedge’s age should be treated carefully unless backed by survey.
For a wider look at the earliest layers, see prehistoric Cornwall. The small fields themselves are a part of Cornish farming, which is shaped by the climate and the land.
A home for wildlife
The long, sheltered banks create many habitats close together. A well-established hedge may include:
- Wildflowers and ferns. Species often mentioned include foxgloves, red campion, bluebells, primroses and, near the sea, sea thrift. Which plants grow depends on soil, aspect and management.
- Mosses and lichens. Damp, shaded stone faces often hold mosses and lichens, which like the clean air of the west.
- Insects. Flowers feed bees and butterflies, and crevices give shelter to many small invertebrates.
- Reptiles and small mammals. Sunny banks may provide basking spots and burrows, and small mammals shelter in the base.
- Birds. Shrubs and trees on the hedge top provide nesting and feeding sites, and the banks also work as wildlife corridors across farmland.
The reason hedges matter for wildlife is partly their sheer length. Linked across the county, they form a network that animals and plants can use to move through a landscape that is otherwise farmed. Conservation groups and farming schemes often highlight this, though exact figures vary and are not given here.
Weather and shelter
Hedges also serve people and animals. They break the wind, which is useful in a county exposed to the Atlantic, and they shelter stock and crops. On the high ground and near the coast, where little else will grow tall, a bank may be the only real shelter in sight. This is part of why small fields with high banks suit the Cornish farming pattern.
Hedges and the countryside experience
Many walkers and drivers will know hedges best from narrow lanes, where banks rise on both sides and the road feels like a green tunnel. The same banks that make Cornwall’s lanes attractive also limit visibility, so the advice for drivers on narrow lanes is worth reading before a trip. Where lanes follow old routes, the banks often follow the same lines, and on the coast path you may find hedges running down to the cliff edge.
Cutting vegetation and managing hedges follows seasons, and birds nest in spring and summer, so work on hedge tops is generally timed with this in mind. It is common to see a hedge trimmed in late summer or autumn, though practice varies.
Looking after them
Hedges are privately owned parts of working farms, and care is needed.
- Do not climb on hedges or pull out stones. Loosened stones can lead to collapse.
- Keep to marked paths, and shut gates behind you.
- Do not pick plants in quantity, and leave nests and burrows alone.
- Be careful where hedges run beside cliffs, since there may be hidden drops.
- When driving, pull in where possible and give way courteously, as hedges can scrape vehicles.
Farmers, landowners and specialist hedgers carry out much of the maintenance, sometimes with the help of conservation grants. Rules on removing or altering hedges can apply, and anyone considering work on a hedge should seek local advice.
The Cornish hedge is a working structure, a wildlife habitat and a piece of heritage all in one. It is one of the features that give the county’s countryside its distinctive look, and one of the most worthwhile to notice on a slow walk.