Bere Admin July 27th, 2008
At last I feel as if my plans for a little nature reserve in the middle of London are coming to fruition!
Archive for the 'The Muse' Category
Bere Admin June 19th, 2008
Tom Liffen is conducting a research project which investigates the effect of green roofs upon water quality. The project also discusses the various benefits of green roofs (including habitat creation) and the policy tools that can assist their establishment. The work is a collaboration between the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and King’s College London. The final report will be used as a resource by Defra, where Tom has been placed for three months, and submitted as the dissertation for his M.Sc in Aquatic Resource Management. Continue Reading »
Bere Admin June 18th, 2008
Green Roof Update - 15 weeks after planting
The daisies and cornflowers have now been joined by poppies. Both the cornflowers and poppies have been very popular with the bumblebees. The insect population is beginning to develop and this is the first native greenshield bug thats been seen in the garden. Bird visitor numbers have steadily increased and they seem to enjoy the hazel coppice near the feeders. The regular list of visitors now includes: bullfinches, goldfinches, greenfinches, sparrows, robins, blackbirds and great tits.
Bere Admin March 25th, 2008
Easter Sunday saw BBC1’s Countryfile programme feature Justin Bere’s eco-house ‘The Muse’. Interviewing both Justin Bere, the architect and owner of the house and Dusty Gedge of Living Roofs, the programme provided an in-depth review of the achievements and aspirations that have driven the development of this pioneering project in the Canonbury area of Islington. Continue Reading »
Bere Admin February 25th, 2008
20 tonnes of soil has now been loaded on to the Muse, Justin Bere’s own self-build experimental home and an all-native planting scheme has been installed in good time to get settled in before the growing season. Justin says: “at last we got 20 tonnes of soil on the roofs of my house and we have completed an all-native planting scheme, including a native hawthorn thicket, a native hazel woodland with native honeysuckle and two native wild-flower meadows. Also forty native birch trees have been planted along the gravel entranceway. The selected plants are all species native to the UK, which means they are perfectly suited to support native insects and animals, creating a comprehensive, symbiotic, fully functioning ecology. The plants were all grown in the south east of England and sourced from English Woodlands Continue Reading »