![]() I visited Torry Hill Farm, run as a family business by John Leigh Pemberton. uncut) to coppice workers, whose experienced eyes allow them to quickly assess how many poles and stakes they can produce from a cut. It is managed in felling coupes or ‘cants’ that are usually sold ‘standing’ ( i.e. Sweet chestnut coppice is grown on a 30 year cycle. The chestnut coppice industry expanded rapidly during the 19th Century to meet a growing demand for hop poles from the brewing industry. Historical records from Canterbury Cathedral show that there were large areas of coppice grown in Kent by 1200. In the foreground is a recently cut coppice cant, middle distance (left) is a stack of cut poles with maiden trees behind, distant right is a cant of 15 years old coppice. A working sweet chestnut woodland in Kent. The unrelated horse chestnut ( Aesculus hippocastum) has nuts that are inedible and a wood which is virtually unusable, even for burning. ![]() Its cleaves, or splits easily along the grain, which makes it a perfect wood for making pegs, stakes, or fencing. Sweet chestnut also produces some of the most durable of timbers, which is resistant to rot and very strong. Its attraction was the nutrious nuts produced every Autumn within the hedgehog-like prickly shells or cupules. Sweet chestnut ( Castanea sativa) was introduced to Britain by the Romans some 2000 years ago. ![]() It is also the centre of Britain’s sweet chestnut coppice industry. This week I had the pleasure of visiting Kent – “England’s garden” – famous for its apple, cherry and cobnut growing. Quantuma reportedly obtained a £40m freezing order over Mr Murray’s assets last year but said it could not estimate how much money would be returned to investors.Maiden sweet chestnut tree and coppice in Kent. Investors into the multimillion-pound company had been offered the opportunity to plough their money into properties including luxury care homes, but some were never built.Īccording to the Evening Standard, the public parted with £75m to invest in the firm. The Carlauren Group, which was run by director Sean Murray, fell into administration in 2019. “All of the companies listed in the sale were insolvent and this transaction now gives a chance for the properties to be funded in the future.” The sale was completed on April 21 and included:Ĭlinton House and Tarrant House, St AustellĬarl Jackson, chief executive of Quantuma, said: “These were difficult and protracted negotiations which have turned out successful given the current circumstances and the outcome will benefit the companies and the investors. No jobs were saved as a result of the sale.Īll of the properties were bought with the investor leases in place and, according to the liquidators, PCPD will negotiate with the leaseholders regarding further development and use. ![]() Several South West hotels and nursing homes have been sold off following the collapse of a high-risk property company nearly 18 months ago.īusiness advisory firm Quantuma and restructuring firm Kroll, the joint liquidators of the Carlauren Group, sold the properties to Phoenix Commercial Property Development (PCPD) for an undisclosed sum. ![]()
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