Life and soul in the Sussex woods

摘要

Eight timber towers peering over the main road from Flimwell to Hawkhurst signal an unusual sustainable mixed-use development deep in the East Sussex countryside. Touring the scheme with its designer, Steven Johnson of the Architecture Ensemble, there is so much to Flimwell Park that it's hard to know where to begin. There is the story of its creation-a combination of good fortune and good judgement-of which more later. There is the backdrop of a 22ha ancient woodland, interwoven with trails and ponds that link it to nearby beauty spots like Bedgebury Pine-tum. And there is a mix of uses-work, educational, residential and amenities-that offer a lead in sustainable rural development.