St Cuthman's Lake Conservation Project 2009

Those who know and love the lake will immediately recognise the benefits of the work, opening up as it has the views from the house and orchard lawns.

This page carries a few snapshots of the work taking place. A more detailed report will follow soon but in the meantime we have left the original information about the fund raising effort below.

Download and view / print more pictures of the lake clearance work here (please be patient - large file - 6.43mb) .pdf

Anyone who has stayed at or visited St Cuthman’s and experienced the beauty and tranquillity of the lake will appreciate the value of this amazing asset.

The lake was originally created in the early 1900s ...

and is now in need of some urgent attention. A recent report from a water garden specialist indicated that 'the build up of silt has reduced the depth of water and thus has allowed the reed beds to encroach on the lake. The depth of water is also very important for the population of fish and other aquatic life within the lake. The vegetative growth within the lake has become quite considerable and is beginning to choke the flow of water, making the build up of silt and debris even greater. The reed beds around the lake have increased considerably in size and...are allowing the colonisation of scrub and trees; this is the first sign of the lake reverting to solid ground.”

1. 2.

3. 4.

1. Reed beds encroaching where the tributary of the River Adur enters the lake

2. Reeds and scrub opposite the orchard

3. & 4. Reed growth by the weir at the eastern end

The solution to the problem ...

is to dredge the lake and remove the silt. To dredge the whole lake would be extremely costly (in the region of £100,000) and would cause major disruption not only to the peace and quiet of the house and guests, but also to the birds, insects, fish and wildlife that live in and around it.

There are many environmental rules and regulations governing the management of lakes and wildlife habitats which we have to closely follow because we are a Site of Special Nature Conservation Importance. After discussing the problem with contacts at the West Sussex Wildlife Trust and local water specialists, we have decided to go for a less dramatic, longer term strategy that fits with the resources available, is less disruptive to the work of the house and protects both the open vista of the lake and the diverse wildlife.

St Cuthman’s already receives a significant financial contribution from the Arundel and Brighton Diocese to cover the ongoing running costs of the Centre. This year additional resources are required for major repairs to the house roof, and it is therefore not possible to meet these additional costs for the lake from Diocesan funds.

I am therefore making this appeal to the Friends of St Cuthman’s and other guests to seek your financial support in helping us safeguard the lake, not just for guests but for future generations.

In order to manage this work and to cause the least possible disruption to the services of the house and the wildlife we aim to carry our the work in three major phases.

Carrying out an initial survey of the internal surface of the lake (in order to get an accurate picture of silt levels) and the clearing of some of the reed beds on the western side of the lake. We hope to complete this work at the end of the Summer/early Autumn of 2009, when the birds have finished nesting.

View of the reed mace from the farm (western) end of the lake. Reeds and scrub, including willow, are now dense on the south side of the lake.

Clearing some of the silt from the weir end of the lake and strengthening the dam in 2010

Cearing the reed beds by the terrace lawns and boat house area 2011.

Our gardener will then carry out normal small scale management of the lake with support from conservation volunteers.

A survey of the internal surfaces of the lake so allowing an accurate assessment of the levels of silt, volume of water and slopes of the internal banks.

Clearing of the reed beds on the west side of the lake, near the farm bridge. This will open up the lake, and remove some of the problematic reed mace and silt. The plan is to bring in an extra-reach excavator working from the bank.

Costs involved

• Survey work— £560 for site work and £600 for the CAD work = £1,160 plus VAT
• Excavation work — £1,200 per day for 5 days work = £6,000
• Establishing of new supportive plants in the cleared area =£1,000
• Plus a small contingency for unforeseen problems =£600

Total costs in the region of £10,000

Work on Phases 2 and 3 will depend on the success of subsequent fundraising.

Once we have completed all this major work we aim to work with conservation volunteers to keep control of the reed growth and ensure the flow of water through the lake.

Any support you can give, no matter how small, to help us preserve this wonderful, beautiful and precious piece of God’s creation will be gratefully received.

If you require further details please do not hesitate to get in touch. An A4 printable version of this information is available here.

If you are interested ...

in supporting this appeal please make cheques payable to RCD of A&B. Correspondence should be marked St Cuthman’s Lake Project.

St Cuthman’s

Cowfold Rd, Coolham,

Horsham RH13 8QL

Tel: 01403 741220

Director's email: stcuthmans@dabnet.org