General features of Welsh hedges

The many and varied styles of Welsh hedges seem at first to defy classification, with each area claiming a hedging tradition of its own. On the local level it is often hard to tell if a particular hedge is representative of its area, or is a single craftsman’s idiosyncratic blending of styles into a new combination.

The border counties add to the variety by mixing elements of Welsh and Midland hedges. In general, the hedges of the Monmouth area can be planted firmly in the Welsh camp, whereas the hedges of Cheshire, Shropshire and Hereford tend to be ‘thin’ versions of the Midlands hedge, often ditched but sometimes on the flat or on a bank.

Despite this confusion, Welsh hedges show certain characteristic differences from the typical Midlands hedge. Some of these differences are shared by border county hedges, but not consistently. Whenever ‘Welsh hedges’ are discussed as a group, one should mentally add ‘and some border county hedges’.

Welsh hedges are designed primarily as sheep fences. Because of this they are usually dense, but not necessarily very high, depending on the local breed of sheep. More or less deadwood is invariably added to the laid hedge to form a blockade to the sheep until the hedge has regrown. On sites where snow blows and drifts, hedges must be made strong enough to resist lateral pressure, and often these hedges are also rounded to let snow slide off the sides, rather than sitting on top and possibly crushing the hedge. In other parts of Wales, especially in the southern lowlands, the weather is mild and hedges can be left unstaked, squat and square atop high banks. By contrast, in the northeast the banks are low or non-existent, and the hedges are laid nearly as tall as in the Midlands. Where mixed farming is the rule, as it is in the northeast and in the border counties, types showing characteristics of both the sheep fence and Midlands hedge are used to keep in both sheep and cattle.

Many Welsh hedges have no ditch. Instead, most are built on a distinct bank, varying from a few inches to more than 4’ (1.2m) in height. The banks are known in some localities as ‘ditches’. On steep hillsides the banks often have one face only, and serve to prevent the loss of soil downhill. In the mildest parts of Wales, as in South Western England, the banks become dominant and the hedges are reduced in size. High banks provide the best defence against the strong south westerly winds.

Many Welsh hedges are said to be either ‘single’ or ‘double brushed’. Single brushed hedges have the pleachers laid mainly from one side of the hedge, with the brushy ends angled out to the other side. Midland hedging is always single brushed. Double brushed hedges have pleachers laid in from both sides, with the brushy ends projecting alternately to one side and the other, producing a more symmetrical, bushy appearance. Where hedges are not ditched, double brushing serves as an alternate strategy to keep the young shoots from grazing stock, since the shoots growing up in the centre are shielded by a brushy wall on both sides. The true double brush type is an extreme version of this method, and is explained in detail later in the chapter.

Not all Welsh styles stress the importance of brushing, and no sharp distinction between single and double brush occurs where hedges are unstaked. Some Welsh styles are thin, some bulked out with deadwood cuttings. There is often fierce argument as to the balance required between protecting and possibly smothering the new growth. Some styles vary depending on the particular situation. Where stock are unlikely to get at the near side of the hedge, as at a stream or road edge, the hedge may be single brushed. Normally however, as one craftsman put it, ‘we like the double brushing because it gives the new shoots a bit of peace – they can grow up to the height of the hedge before being exposed to view’.

Some Welsh hedgers use neither stakes nor binders. Others use stakes but no binders, and both are slightly different from the Midlands types. The stakes are stout, about 3” (75mm) in diameter, and pointed at the base with an axe. They are usually driven in at an angle in order to help ‘lock’ the pleachers into position. Oak is preferred for stakes, but more often untreated softwood is used instead. Since the stakes are too thick to be trimmed easily with a billhook, they are normally sawn off to the required height with a bow saw or chain saw to finish. Most hedgers like the stake top to be flush with the top of the hedge. Others prefer to cut it off at right angles to the stake itself, because it looks more ‘natural’, sheds rain and delays rotting, and allows the binding ‘to get a better hold of the stakes’. Old craftsmen say that they used to be required to cut stakes off with three blows of the axe, to give a clean finish that discouraged rot.

As in the Midlands and elsewhere, hazel is preferred for binders, but they tend to be thicker and less straight, and are twisted in a simple 2-rod spiral. Stakes also tend to be more sturdy, to withstand the severe weather of exposed western areas. Hazel for binders is in short supply on many upland farms, and instead 2 strands of plain or barbed wire may be used, twisted together and strained by hand.

Interesting features of some Welsh hedges are ‘crops’ and ‘crooks’. Crops are stems left standing in the hedge and cut off at a convenient height to serve as living stakes. Crooks are small stakes with a side branch cut to form a hook, which when pushed into the laid hedge, help to hold down the pleachers. Crops and crooks are most often used on small hedges on banks, or where stakes are difficult to obtain. Sometimes crops and crooks are used in addition to stakes as a support against wind and snow drift.

A final characteristic of Welsh hedges, at least of those laid in competitions, is the care with which they are trimmed and shaped. The hedge is manicured with a billhook, grass or gorse hook or even secateurs, until no twig is out of place, and the hedge’s surface is even and hedgehog-dense. The trimming is done very carefully so as to hide the ‘white’ on the cut stems. The stems are cut along the grain from the back to the front as shown in the diagram.

Welsh hedging styles

The summary table below groups the dozen or more distinct Welsh styles into four major types. These types have developed in response to particular agricultural and climatic regimes, as well as to general regional differences and traditions.

In the table, the angles for stakes and pleachers are measured upwards from the bank, taking the bank as 0 degrees. The angles given are approximate averages.

Bank height and hedge height are given as follows:

low (L) 2-2’6” (600-760mm)
medium (M) 3-3’6” (900-1060mm)
high (H) 4’ (1.2m)

Under the ‘brushing’ column, a dash indicates that brush is not a feature of the hedge, or that stakes are not used, so that the terms ‘single’ and ‘double brushing’ do not apply.