Project

Hinton Ampner: Reimagining a Hampshire Estate

Open meadows with a tree-lined horizon and blue sky at Hinton Ampner, Hampshire — The project will create a larger and more diverse estate to explore | © National Trust

The Hinton Ampner: Reimagining a Hampshire Estate project is a long-term commitment to transforming this historic National Trust estate into a more vibrant, accessible and sustainable place where people and nature can thrive.

The main aims of the project are:

Nature recovery and conservation: creating diverse new habitats so wildlife can thrive
Regenerative farming: more environmentally friendly and sustainable practices
Better access to nature: larger, more varied green space with improved access
Involving people: volunteer opportunities, community projects and visitor engagement
Responding to climate change: increased carbon capture and resistance to extreme weather

The work so far

Back in 2021, we began converting 27 hectares of farmland into wood pasture, grassland and tree plantations. We also appointed our farming partner to help us care for our farmland using soil and nature soil friendly, regenerative techniques. The outcomes are apparent in a greater variety of wildflowers and larger areas of grassland for our cattle. We have also established a home herd of rare breed Sussex cattle. The cattle are natural custodians of our parkland who thrive in the outdoor conditions of the South Downs landscape.

In 2024, our focus fell upon woodland creation and tree planting. We have welcomed numerous community groups and families to join us in planting 34,000 new trees including oak, field maple, crab apple and holly. In addition to creating the new woodland, our volunteers regularly survey the impact of our work – discoveries have been made including the presence of number of barn owls, angle shades caterpillars, wasp spiders and woodlark.

Regenerative practices are now in place to improve the soil in the fields where farming will continue and our appointed our farming partner will help us to care for our farmland using soil and nature soil friendly, regenerative techniques.

If you wish to get involved in future tree planting days, please email us: hintoncountryside@nationaltrust.org.uk We intend to run future tree planting days from Autumn 2025.

January 2025

Latest update

Trees, trees, trees!

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Herbal ley in flower on farmland at Hinton Ampner National Trust — Herbal ley in flower on farmland at Hinton Ampner | © Lee Hulin

Preserving Ralph Dutton’s vision

Ralph Stawell Dutton, the 8th Lord Sherborne, was an author, historian and collector, as well as a great supporter of the National Trust. He inherited Hinton Ampner in 1935 and left the entire estate to the Trust on his death in 1985.

Dutton was responsible for expanding the estate and using landscaping and planting to enhance the stunning views from the house over the South Downs National Park.

As the 'Reimagining' project continues, there will be a steady change to the landscape. But 300 new trees planted in the parkland will continue Dutton’s tradition of creating small copses to soften boundaries and give structure and symmetry to these magnificent views.

Hinton Ampner has a vision of creating something really quite special for people and wildlife in the South Downs National Park.

A quote by Nick HeasmanSouth Downs National Park Authority

Main aims of the 'Reimagining' project

The project has five main aims, each complementing and supporting the others. Click through to find out more about some of these key areas.

Nature recovery and conservation: Helping nature at Hinton to recover and thrive is central to the project. By planting thousands of trees, extending hedgerows and reclaiming chalk grasslands, we’ll create habitats to support a rich diversity of insects, plants and animals. We’ll track the impact this is having with regular wildlife surveys.Find out more
Regenerative farming: By restricting the use of chemicals and following regenerative farming practices, we’ll improve soil quality and reduce the impact on the wider environment. Fruit trees, wild borders in the fields and grazing by native-breed cattle will create new wildlife habitats. And our farming partner will focus on environmental rather than commercial targets.Find out more
Better access to nature for everyone: Following the retirement of Hinton's tenant farmer, we’ll use some of this land to expand the area of green space where visitors can roam, and create a richer and more varied landscape. A new circular trail, fewer fences and gates, and improved and extended paths will make nature accessible to everyone.Find out more
Involving the community and visitors: We want visitors and the local community to feel part of this project. That’s why we’ll be looking for volunteers to get involved in activities like planting trees and monitoring wildlife. We’ll also help people to connect with where their food comes from, and engage with this reciprocal relationship with the land.Find out more
Responding to climate change: Planting new woodland and hedgerows and returning commercial farmland to parkland will all help to increase the amount of carbon captured from the air. Regenerative farming practices will lock even more carbon into the soil and make the land more resilient to climate change, including by reducing the risk of flooding.

Hinton Ampner in the years to come

These artist's impressions of the skies over Hinton give an idea of the types and variety of species you might expect to see here now and as the nature conservation and sustainability aspects of the project take effect.

Artwork with birds, bats and insects flying over farmland and countryside — The landscape and wildlife of Hinton Ampner before the Reimagining project | © National Trust / Jeroen Helmer

Hinton Ampner 2023

A view of the Hinton Ampner landscape at the start of the project, and the range of wildlife in the skies above. As work continues, new and recovering habitats will help to boost both the variety of species and their numbers.

Art work with birds and wildlife flying over Hinton Ampner, Hampshire — An artist's impression of wildlife thriving at Hinton Ampner, Hampshire, 50 years after the start of the conservation project | © National Trust / Jeroen Helmer

Hinton Ampner 2083

Fifty years on, nature conservation and sustainable farming will be working in harmony, leading to a rich diversity of species in both the parkland and on arable land. Native cattle will graze the estate, integrating livestock into the landscape.

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Timeline of work so far

January 2025

Trees, trees, trees!

Despite a definite variety of weather, January has been a phenomenal month for our community tree planting. We have been accompanied by 15 enthusiastic local groups and who have planted a staggering 6000 trees! In addition to planting, we have also begun mulching the trees with woodchip. This will suppress grass growth and retain moisture, giving the saplings the best possible chance of survival.

If you would like to help us plant 25,000 trees, click here to sign up to one of our Family Tree Planting days!

Reimagining a Hampshire Estate_Jan 2025_Casper Rocher | © Casper Rocher

Frequently asked questions

The United Kingdom is facing a biodiversity crisis. In 2021, researchers at the Natural History Museum placed the UK in the bottom 10% of global countries in terms of biodiversity loss; and we are the lowest in the G7 group of nations.

The National Trust’s founders created the Trust to care for places of historic interest and natural beauty, and to preserve their ‘natural aspect features and animal and plant life’, for the benefit of the nation. Our land policy priorities focus on this.

Climate change and the loss of habitat and species represent the biggest risks to the future of the places in our care. As the UK’s largest conservation organisation and a private landowner, it is the Trust's responsibility to make a significant contribution to tackling the nature and climate crises. We want National Trust land to be a model for how to offer the best for both nature and people.

The UK’s position in terms of biodiversity reflects historic transformations to the landscape following the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions and present-day intensive farming and building. Today, over two-thirds of the UK’s surface area is being used for agriculture, while another 8% has been built on, leaving little room for more natural habitat and processes.
We are keeping 110 hectares of farmland on the estate at Hinton Ampner to grow crops and will be using sustainable practices to improve the soil and make the land more productive in the coming years, decades and beyond.

We will also be rearing native-breed Sussex cattle at Hinton by grazing them on other land around the estate, such as grassland and wood pasture. As well as providing food for the cattle, this will help to create and maintain species-rich wildlife habitats.

Over two-thirds of the UK’s surface area is currently being used for agriculture, and according to the UK Government’s Food Security Report 2021 there is no current food security issue linked with lack of productive farmland.

Instead, the report states that the biggest medium- to long-term risks to the UK’s domestic food production come from climate change and other environmental pressures like soil degradation, reduced water quality and the decline in biodiversity. The steps we are taking at Hinton Ampner will address all of these issues.
No, that's not correct. At Hinton Ampner, we'll continue to farm livestock and grow arable crops, but less intensively and using sustainable farming pratcices. This will lead to significant increases in biodiversity, healthier soils and reduced carbon outputs.

We will also be planting trees and hedges to create new and extended areas of woodland and hedgerow, while focused grazing will help to manage grasslands, another important wildlife habitat.

We'll be improving access to the estate with extended and more accessible paths and creating new walking routes for visitors to enjoy.

This is just part of a long-term strategy to improve the estate for people and nature. It has been carefully planned and will be closely managed for years to come.
No. At Hinton Ampner, we'll continue to farm livestock and grow arable crops, but less intensively and using sustainable farming pra ctices. This will lead to significant increases in biodiversity, healthier soils and reduced carbon outputs.

Planting trees and hedgerows may eventually lead to parts of the estate looking ‘wilder’ than they have done for many years but some areas will still be managed with strategic grazing and fencing.

We'll also be creating new walking routes and improving footpaths and gates, making the estate more accessible for everyone.

This is just part of a long-term strategy to improve the estate for people and nature. It has been carefully planned and will be closely managed for years to come.

The National Trust is the largest conservation charity in Europe with huge experience of managing the countryside for landscape, wildlife, and public enjoyment. We see room for many different levels of ‘wildness’ and domestication on our land and will always seek to apply these different treatments in a locally appropriate and considered way for the benefit of biodiversity and people.
Much of what are considered by ‘weeds’ by some farmers, are part of our native flora and have significant benefits for wildlife.

One expert study found that the abundance and diversity of pollinating insects visiting these native ‘weed’ species averaged twice that of the plant species recommended for pollinator-targeted agri-environmental schemes. Where these native species labelled ‘weeds’ grow as part of a naturally regenerating community of plants, they indirectly support farming by supporting pollinators.

Only one major 'weed', ragwort, is in any way toxic to livestock and only if eaten in great quantity, which is rare. Harmful situations can sometimes occur when it is included (in high quantities) in hay, or when animals have very little else to eat due to over-grazing. Ragwort germination and growth happen in competition-free gaps in the vegetation; the kind that are produced by cultivation or by heavy grazing from domestic stock like sheep or horses. But in well-managed dense grassland, the amount of ragwort is controlled naturally by competition and reduction of suitable germination sites.

For more information on ragwort and the common myths surrounding it see: https://www.ragwortfacts.com.
One of the key aims of the project at Hinton Ampner is to increase access to green spaces for visitors and the local community.

Around 75 more acres will become available to the public, with a total of 10 km of new paths through the estate. Visitors will be able to roam over a larger and more varied landscape, while a new trail, fewer fences and gates, and improved paths will make nature accessible to everyone.

In some cases, we may need to use fencing to separate walkers and dog owners from grazing livestock or breeding wildlife, such as ground-nesting birds, just as any livestock farmer or nature reserve warden would.
Sheep tend to graze very close to the ground, cropping the grass blades short and to the same length. They also prefer the flowering heads and buds of many plants. This can lead to a lack of variation in grass lengths and plant species, which would otherwise provide habitats for many valuable insects and other invertebrates that are the basis of the wildlife food chain.

Cattle are less selective grazers and are likely to graze an area of vegetation to a medium height. They also remove long, coarse grass and use their tongues to pull up tufts of vegetation. When cattle are grazed in responsible numbers, such as at Hinton, this leaves tussocky grasses with a variety of micro-habitats.
By increasing the range and size of habitats at Hinton, and restricting the chemicals that go into the land, we’ll give all kinds of plants and wildlife a greater chance of thriving here.

‘Unimproved’ grassland, and wild field borders on the estate farmland, will support a wider variety of plants and insects.

This in turn will provide food for an array of birds, reptiles and mammals, while extended and joined up woodland and hedgerows will support larger, more sustainable populations.

The overall mosaic of habitats on the estate will provide appropriate breeding, commuting and over-wintering habitats.

As the land becomes healthier, and the landscape more diverse, the growth in the range and number of plant, insect and animals species should start to gather pace.

Blue skies and light white clouds with the Panorama Tower in the background. Lambs are grazing in the green fields in front.

Nature conservation

From ancient trees to bees and butterflies, our places are full of life. We're working hard to safeguard nature for years to come.

Our work for nature

The South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) is responsible for keeping the South Downs a special place. The SDNPA is also the planning authority for the National Park.

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