View From The East: Uncovering The History of Colwick Woods

About

Spring / Summer 2015

Throughout the spring and summer months this year View from the East offers an exciting programme of heritage activities aimed at exploring the rich and fascinating history of Colwick Woods.

Through research and study activities for the local community, drop-in family sessions and a series of on-site public workshops and talks with experts in wildlife conservation and cultural and historical geography, Ordinary Culture invite you to discover this much overlooked urban green-space and share its remarkable story.

View from the East is organised by Ordinary Culture, an independent Nottingham-based group led by curators Aaron Juneau, Louise Stewart and Sam West, who specialise in producing high quality, critically engaged and socially inclusive contemporary arts projects within the public domain.

At the Eastern edge of Nottingham, just beyond the hustle and bustle of this thriving modern city, lies an ancient woodland, Colwick Woods. Dating back to at least the 11th Century where it is recorded in the Domesday Book, much of the wood originally formed part of the estate of Colwick Hall where the ownership of the hall had passed through a number of families including the infamous Byrons and Musters. 

Jan Siberechts’ View of Nottingham from the East was painted around 1695 and now hangs at Nottingham Castle. Its panoramic depiction of the city from Colwick Woods is still clearly visible today from a clearing on the spot where the painting was made.  While the view itself has transformed dramatically, on the surface, the woods themselves appear largely unchanged.

Today, Colwick Woods is a beautiful urban green space much valued by the local community, but its seeming peacefulness masks an ever changing ecology as well as a fascinating and often turbulent past.  Variously a murder site, scene of public protest, army encampment, home to a race course and recently saved by the local community from the threat of development, it is clear that just as the city has grown and changed, so too have the woods.  

View from the East explores the ways in which the woods have been contributed to, changed, and given their character by the people who live close to and use the site. The project will map the past, present and future of Colwick Woods through collecting historical sources and the memories of local people. Speculations about the future of the woods will be invited from locals as well as historians and geographers as we imagine what the future holds and make steps towards preserving the woods’ collective narrative for generations to come.

Talks: Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery

Explore Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery’s Fine Art collection with the Ordinary Culture team and an expert in art history. These talks are suitable for anyone with an interest in art, local history, the British topographical landscape and its artistic representation. 
Both these talks are free and no booking is necessary, but normal entry charges apply. Please note these are not seated events. 

Sunday April 26 from 12pm until 1pm
View of Nottingham from the East with Dr Ian Waites
Join us for a discussion of Siberechts’, A View of Nottingham from the East, exploring what the painting tells us about Nottingham in the late seventeenth century and beyond.  Considering the picture as an example of the ‘prospect’ genre, Dr. Waites will discuss why it was painted, and what images like this meant to people when they were made.
Dr Ian Waites is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Lincoln’s School of Architecture and Design. His research interests centre on landscape, sense of place and memory.

Sunday July 12 from 12 – 1.45pm
In conversation with Louise Stewart and Professor Nicholas Alfrey
Ordinary Culture curator Louise Stewart and University of Nottingham Associate Professor in Art History Nicholas Alfrey discuss the visual culture of landscape since 1800 and British landscape painting. The talk will consider a number of paintings in the Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery Fine Art painting collection.  

Talks: Colwick Woods Nature Reserve 
All events are free, booking is recommended as places are limited. 
Discover Colwick Woods for the first time or rediscover this enchanting green space…
Our guided ‘walk-and-talks’ are a fun and informative way to explore the woods and the surrounding landscape. Each session will consider different aspects of the site from different disciplinary positions and different moments in time. These events are perfect for people interested in local history, nature, art history, and the British landscape. 

Sunday 24 May 2015 from 12– 1.30pm
Woodland Histories with Professor Charles Watkins
An on-site walk and talk considering the setting of Colwick Woods within the broad history of woodland and landscape change, taking in aspects of the picturesque and woodland history.

Sunday 7 June &  Saturday 11 July 2015 from 12– 1.30pm
Caring for Woodlands with Professor Charles Watkins
An on-site walk and talk considering issues around the contemporary management of Colwick Woods including nature conservation, the cultural landscape and tree management.

Sunday 19 July from 12 – 1.30pm
An Urban Prospect with Dr Ian Waites
In a site visit to Colwick Hill Dr Ian Waites will examine Siberechts’ prospect in its present reality and explore how our understanding of this landscape has come ‘down to earth’ in terms of its modern social (and anti-social) usage: dog walking, taking a breath of air, the creation of ad-hoc paths and routes beyond the official rights of way, hiding and dumping.

Sunday 25 July 2015 from 12– 1.30pm
From the Woods to the River with Professor Stephen Daniels
This talk invites us to appreciate the wider setting of Colwick Woods, by considering the panoramic views of the Trent valley from the site, and how they reveal past and present relationships between the city, the landscape and the River Trent.

Discover the Woods: Colwick Woods Nature Reserve 
All events are free, booking is recommended as places are limited. 
Join Ordinary Culture, the Friends of Colwick Woods and a team of specialist ecologists for a series of woodland-based conservation activities and workshops. Each session will include introductions to conservation theory as well as instruction and practical skills. All Woodland Activities include a 1 hour break for lunch.

Friday May 15 from 10am – 12pm and 1pm - 3pm
Flora and Fauna with Sarah Love
This session will cover general information on wildflowers in woodland and the Identification of wildflowers in Colwick Woods

Friday May 29 from 10am – 12pm and 1pm - 3pm
Trees and birds with Richard Anderton
This session will cover tree identification, bird surveying and bird identification

Friday May 22 from 10am – 12pm and 1pm - 3pm
Small mammals with Lorna Griffiths 
Including an introduction to small mammal conservation and setting traps to humanely catch, identify and handle mice, bank voles and other mammals   
Please note: EMEC Ecology and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust support our woodland surveys. EMEC Ecology (East Midlands Environmental Consultancy) is a specialist ecological consultancy undertaking protected species surveys (bats, great crested newts, reptiles, water voles, otters etc.) and ecological assessments.

Family Walks: Colwick Woods Nature Reserve 
All events are free, booking is recommended as places are limited. 
Fun woodland explorations for all the family lead by our fantastic artists!

May 9 & 16 and June 6 from 1pm – 3pm
The Hunter and the Hunted with artist-led group Sidelong
Colwick Woods is a magical place where animals play and majestic trees grow. Yet, hidden in the depths of the woodland, there may be dark unknown dangers. In these creative family workshops, Sidelong invite you to become part of the woods by discovering their secrets. You can create a magic charm for safe protection or even disguise yourself as a woodland animal! Help us to tell exciting stories to unravel the woods’ mysteries. Join our exploration, and begin the great adventure into the wondrous Colwick Woods.
Sidelong is an ongoing collaboration between artist Jo Dacombe and Laura-Jade Klee, exploring the idea of curated walks that are rooted in place, identity, community, and the power of imagination.
Suitable for all ages, children must be accompanied.

Access:
All our events will involve walking and navigating around woodlands, so please wear outdoor clothing and sturdy shoes or wellies, especially if it’s wet! Please be aware that these are outdoor events where ground is often uneven and access is limited. For these reasons we ask that wheelchair users please contact Ordinary Culture in advance of booking. 

Finding us:
All events will depart from the old bowls pavilion on Green Wood Road. Postcode/City: NG3 7EB Nottingham.

Contact & Booking information: info@ordinaryculture.org.uk