COUNTRY skills honed through the centuries were on display at National Trust’s Swan Barn Farm, last Saturday.

Despite the showers, more than 700 visitors turned out to enjoy watching displays by local craftsmen, including the Black Down Estate management team, who demonstrated their own woodworking skills, making roofing shingles, willow weaving, pencil making and creating fencing products made from estate timber.

Visitors also had the chance to try their hand at traditional crafts and talk to the team about the work they do to manage the estate.

Additional thrills were provided by featherd friends from Hawk on the Wild Side and Birds of Prey’ while Surrey Amphibian and Reptiles Group’s snakes, lizards, frogs and toads meant there creatures to interest all sorts of animal lovers.

“This is one of our favourite events of the year,” National Trust ranger Spike Brooker said.

“Swan Barn Farm is a wonderful example of sustainable living, with our orchard, chickens, bees, sheep, cattle and eco buildings, and it’s great to be able to show these off to visitors while having fun.

“Many countryside skills have died out over the years with the increasing use of machinery. The day is an opportunity to show visitors how things were done in the past, how these traditional crafts help our countryside flourish.

“The team were pleased to welcome over 700 visitors. Despite the forecast the sun shone intermittently for most of the day, and visitors enjoyed a wonderful range of craft and countryside exhibitions and displays.”

“At Swan Barn Farm, we have long-term volunteers living in a specially designed eco-house built with locally sourced, sustainable wood from the Black Down Estate.

“We also have the Hunter Basecamp, where people on our working holidays stay while helping us with our work.”

The next event at Swan Barn Farm is the community apple pressing day on Saturday, September 30, when home-grown apples can be turned into juice and cider using the heritage press and scratter.

The farm’s brand new “orchard house” will also be on show, which is made from coppiced sweet chestnut grown by the rangers in a project supported by the Black Down and Hindhead Supporters and the Three Counties Association.