Images carved onto the totem pole include the wheel and church bell at All Saints, Robert Bloomfield, The Osbourn family crest, All Saints church, a Gilbertine monk from Chicksands Priory, Domesday Book, waterwheel and the River Hit.
Described in detail on the Campton Plantation website this carving is one of many new designs in this woodland:
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'This design was submitted by Bekki May as a suggestion for the 'Campton' totem pole. It represents 'Percy' the village peacock (now sadly demised), All Saints' Church, The Mill and the 'White Hart' public house. It has been suggested that perhaps carvings of nuns and monks could be added around the bottom to depict Chicksands. These could be infilled with oak leaves, in memory of the oak trees that had to be cut down.
Campton Plantation Wood is 15.4 hectares in size and has some magnificent trees; it also has varied flora and fauna of interest, it is situated along the A507 between Chicksands roundabout and the roundabout at the top of Ampthill Road, Shefford.. The woodland provides a varied habitat for wildlife as well as giving local residents a place to walk and relax. There is always something interesting to see if you know where to look.
Recently there has been some sad news regarding a number of the large oak trees that are looking very sick. A black staining / weeping on the main trunk of the tree is the first sign and some of the trees have already died. This is caused by a disease called “Sudden Oak Death” which has become a nationwide concern and a variety of official bodies are busy looking for a possible cure. Let?s hope it does not turn into another catastrophe like “Dutch Elm” disease.
The oak trees that are completely dead will be reduced because of health and safety reasons. This means that all the upper branches will be removed but the main trunks will be left standing. While the contractors are there, there will also be some reduction work undertaken on several of the beech trees. All the trees that are identified for work have been checked out for any wildlife inhabitants during the survey work, and will also be checked during the tree surgery.
The plan is to turn the reduced oaks and cut timber into wood sculpture, and the standing oak trunks will become themed totem poles. There will also be a circular walk sculpture trail, which I expect to be of particular interest to local schools and families with children. I hope that when the wood sculpture artists are at work the wood will still be open for demonstrations for anybody that would like to come and watch.
Other improvements to the woodland will include the installation of resting benches along the trail, a small picnic area, improvements to the entrances to facilitate access, the installation of extra dog bins and new interpretation signage. The addition of natural play facilities will make the area know as the Dell, situated at the Chicksands end of the wood even more appealing to the teenagers who already use it.
The improvements to the area should not adversely affect the tranquillity of the site. There will still be plenty of quiet areas in the woodland and the lower area near the river will not be touched because of the fantastic in show of snow drops in the Spring. We are not currently planning any changes to the paths; retaining these will enable us to keep the feel of the natural woodland.
All of the improvements have been devised to enhance the enjoyment of the woodland for all local residents within Campton, Chicksands and Shefford and we hope there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
We are currently bidding for external funding to undertake some of these improvements to the wood. Once we have been awarded a grant, we would plan to complete all the works within a two year period.
Formal consultation will be undertaken as part of this process and we will be looking to engage local schools and start a "friends? group for the wood. In the meantime I plan to conduct a couple of walks in the wood over the winter to show people how the wood will change and this would be a ideal time to get some ideas from you. Look out for the posters in the wood and in the Parish / Town magazines. Please come along and join in.
Trevor Smith. Countryside Sites Officer for Central Bedfordshire Council,(who has been involved in the management of Campton Plantation Wood for over 30 years).
Trevor.Smith@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.'