1981

S1.E1 ∙ Of Horses and Men

Sat, Sep 26, 1981

Many thousands of people visit the forest each year to walk the forest paths, and to admire the trees, heathlands and wildlife. But it is also a place where people live, where artists seek their inspiration and many folk make their living. In this first programme Dennis Skillicorn travels to Sway to meet Ron Ings who makes his living breaking-in horses for the ever increasing band of riders and carriage drivers. At Bramshaw he visits the local blacksmith Roger Skinner, and at Ringwood, farmer Tom Samson shows him his old traditional farm machinery and his team of heavy horses. For Tom 'life wouldn't be worth living without them'.

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S1.E2 ∙ When the Trees Bow Down

Sat, Oct 03, 1981

Although thousands of people visit the New Forest each year to admire the many varieties of trees that cover 30,000 acres they probably don't realise that over half of the woodland is used for commercial growing. This week Dennis Skillicorn meets Rodney Newborough , one of the Forestry Commission men responsible for marketing the timber. He also speaks to Cliff Fennell, a forester who works all year round cutting the timber. But all the wood doesn't find its way into the pulp and sawmills. Greta Hopkinson from Brockenhurst finds a different use for it. She spends her life searching for interesting pieces of wood to shape into beautiful wood sculptures. 'No art form has influenced me, I've been influenced purely by the wood.'

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S1.E3 ∙ Art and Craft

Sat, Oct 10, 1981

This week Dennis Skillicorn meets Monica Coleman, a self-taught artist who found that the influence of the forest inspired her to start painting. With her old dog Cindy as her only companion she seeks out locations where she can spend a tranquil day, preferably where a lazy stream wanders beneath overhanging birch trees. Dennis met Monica at Moyles Court, near Fordingbridge and nearby he found Ronald Hayward busy thatching an old cottage. Ronald is carrying on a family tradition that was started by his great-grandfather and will continue through his own son Brian. For the Haywards it's an old craft that will never die.

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S1.E4 ∙ Fur and Feather

Sat, Oct 17, 1981

Most people who live in the countryside have at some time or another awoken to find their beautifully manicured lawn ravaged by mole hills. Then they would call in Jack Sibley. Jack spent most of his life killing moles, but now he's retired. Dennis Skillicorn visited Jack to talk about his job and about the folklore that surrounds moles. Dennis also spent a day with Peter Murfin, a gamekeeper on the Beaulieu Estates. Peter came down to Beaulieu from Nottingham many years ago and has never wanted to return. A gamekeeper's life means working long hours every day; it's not a job for the nine-to-five man-as Dennis found out. But for Peter it's a way of life he wouldn't change for anything.

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