The Badgworthy Land Company and its parent The Badgworthy Trust were formed in 1926 by a group of forward thinking landowners to promote the protection of lands of ecological and scientific importance and buildings of beauty or historic interest within the Exmoor National Park. The company also provides or assists in the provision of open spaces and other amenities for recreation within the National Park for the benefit of the public and particularly the inhabitants of the area.
The company is one of the largest private landowners within Exmoor National Park, owning well-known sites such as the Doone Country of Badgworthy, Brendon Common and Snowdrop Valley. It has a policy of promoting conservation through country sports and in particular deer management.
The majority of its land lies within Sites of Scientific Interest and designated Special Areas of Conservation. The company works to enhance and protect the landscape and joins with the Exmoor National Park Authority to encourage managed access, and with English Nature to preserve areas important to endangered species of national importance.
BADGEWORTHY LAND CO
THE ELMS OFFICE BISHOPS TAWTON Barnstaple DEVON EX187EJ
The Badgworthy Land Company is a private limited company that was formed in 1926; the shares of the company are owned by a charitable trust, the Badgworthy Trust for the Preservation of Exmoor. The objects of the Trust is to promote the protection of lands of ecological and scientific importance and buildings of beauty or historic interest within Exmoor National Park and to provide or assist in the provision of open space and other amenities for recreation within the Park for the benefit of the public and particularly the inhabitants of the National Park.
The Company was originally set up by a group of landowners and farmers concerned at the loss of habitat and the effect this might have on the red deer herd on Exmoor at a time when "The Hunting Debate" was first in the public domain. The Company is the largest private landowner within the Exmoor National Park, owning some 7,000 acres (2833 ha's). The majority of the land ownership comprises open moorland but also includes some 475 acres (193 ha's) of woodland and two traditional hill farms and small areas of improved pasture.
Within the Company’s ownership are such well known Exmoor sites as the Doone Country of Badgworthy, Snowdrop Valley at Cutcombe and Brendon and Lynton Commons. The whole of the Company’s land is designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) and most lies within Sites of Special Scientific Interest and designated Special Areas of Conservation. The Company is fortunate to own areas which are home to endangered species and of national importance, including Dormice, Butterflies (the Heath and High Brown Fritillaries), Merlins, Lichens and species with an uncertain future such as the Red deer. The Company is active in the promotion of conservation measures working closely with English Nature and the Exmoor National Park Authority; works have included the limitation of the spread of Rhododendron Ponticum on open moorland, creation and preservation of habitat, steps to enhance the management of specific areas as well as supporting the welfare and proper management of particular species.
The Company has entered all its in-hand land into the ESA management schemes and encourages its tenants to do so, it has also actively assisted the graziers on its Commons to enter environmental management agreements. The Company's aim is to conserve the moorland through managed grazing and positive conservation management, while ensuring that the commoners are compensated for any limitations on their rights for the period of the agreement. The Company is pursuing better management of its woodland through woodland Grant Schemes and where the principal concern is ecological rather than silvicultural, this management includes improved public access.
The Company has always supported public access on foot to its areas of moorland and upon paths through woodland. The Company is actively involved in access management and aims to balance the requirements of access seekers with other interests concerning its land; the Company works closely with the National Park Authority and its Rangers to ensure that as far as is possible all needs are met. Recently this has included the creation of new permissive paths upgrading, including works for disabled people’s access with Exmoor Paths Partnership.
As well as the ownership of land the Company owns many thousands of acres of hunting Rights in the Greater Exmoor Area. These have been gifted by concerned farmers and landowners wishing to preserve hunting with hounds as the traditional method of deer and fox management.
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