Sustainability Is A Core Value At Hodsock Priory In Nottinghamshire

The Estate Sustainability

Sustainability is key

Renewable energy and environmental consciousness continues to be a pillar of our values at Hodsock Priory.⁠

Alongside a busy weddings and events division within the Priory, we also maintain 800 acres of ancient woodland, farmland and gardens. Hodsock has always found importance in sustainability, balancing the human and natural worlds to enhance biodiversity alongside productive agriculture and food production.

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Tree planting

In the last 25 years, in excess of 50,000 trees have been planted on the Hodsock Estate as part of our ongoing relationship and respect for sustainability and the natural world. In 2020 alone, 13,345 trees were planted.

Joining forces with Sherwood Forest Trust⁠, Dr Patrick Chandler and forester Ian joined Sir Andrew, George Buchanan and head of maintenance, Alan Sanderson, in planting 400 oaks trees in November 2020. This date marked the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing to the New World in 1620.

At any one time, Hodsock grows over 1,000 Cricket Bat Willow trees which are harvested after 12 years and replanted annually. J S Wright & Sons manage this process, from providing the saplings and taking care of the felling to their replanting. The future aim is to provide and regenerate 100 trees a year, which will produce around 300 top quality bats, a passion project for the Buchanan family as cricket enthusiasts.

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Wildlife

We actively encourage the protection of local habitats. In our gardens you will always find flowers coming in and out of bloom, no matter the season. This provides a sanctuary for green woodpeckers, herons, buzzards, kestrels and owls alongside resident robins, wrens, nuthatches and long tailed tits. The stream and lake encourage kingfishers, dragon and damsel flies and colonies of toads and frogs. This biodiversity is aided by our Victorian style apiary of 50,000 bees pollinating our formal gardens.

Hodsock Farms has adopted a sustainable approach to agriculture and food production. The main crops grown are wheat, barley, potatoes, carrots, peas and break crops like yellow oil seed rape. Whilst many farms grow to the edge of their land, Hodsock dedicates certain areas of land for wilding, ensuring these regions remain free from agricultural practices to promote wildlife and nature to thrive.

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Carbon Reduction

In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and support local businesses our vegetable, meat and fish suppliers are all based within a 50-mile radius to the Priory. Herbs are grown in the gardens. Behind our bar, you will find a wide range of locally sourced beers, ales and soft drinks. Where ingredients can’t be sourced locally, we buy from sustainable independent importers.

The Priory and Courtyard have fully insulated windows and doors to ensure no energy is wasted and our EPC rating is as low as possible for a listed heritage building.

HEATING & HOT WATER

The heating and hot water is primarily supplied by a mix of heat pumps, solar panels and ground source – usually reaching 50 degrees C before super-efficient oil boilers take it to 60 degrees to ensure the water is hot enough to meet regulations. We can say that well over 50% of all heat for the Priory and Courtyard is derived from renewable sources. We have re-wired and re-plumbed the entire Priory so we have a modern system that makes sure energy is only used where it is needed. Pipes are properly insulated and our control systems alert us if there are any inefficiencies we can improve.

ELECTRICITY & LIGHTING

Currently our electricity is provided by the National Grid. All our light bulbs are LED, reducing our power consumption by up to 25%. We have power saving circuits that we can shut down the minute we no longer need them to be on. For example, the bar fridges and cooling fans are switched off between events, outdoors lights are on sensors to reduce both energy consumption and light pollution.