SUSTAINABILITY
Our main core values at The Original Hut Company are to be sustainable and environmentally friendly throughout everything we do. We are truly committed custodians of this beautiful and historic piece of our countryside.
Our onsite cafe, The Hub, was completed in 2016 using upcycled and reclaimed materials wherever possible. We even have a staircase made from upcycled pallets!
Below you will find information on how we implement our core values throughout the construction and maintenance of our campsites and Shepherd’s Huts. Our Hub Cafe is supplied by producers that are mostly well within a 15 mile radius. And the team always seek to reduce and manage waste responsibly and avoid single use plastic wherever possible.
Since 2008 we have been dedicated to rewilding and rejuvenating the woodland to create a unique, immersive experience for you to stay in a truly biodiverse habitat, content in the knowledge that your visit to the Shepherd’s Huts has a very low impact on the environment. On average, we plant 3000 trees each year around the campsites and farm area too.
This area is steeped in history. The land has been part of a huge Guinness Hope Farm, a Roman Settlement (that is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument) , and a landmark tree by the river was even mentioned in the medieval Domesday Book.
REDUCE
REUSE
RECYCLE
Construction
Beautiful, Comfortable and Sustainable. Handmade by Nick on site using reclaimed and recycled materials wherever possible.
In bygone days, agricultural workers working away from the farm were often accommodated in huts; be this a shepherd during lambing, a game keeper on a large estate, or a gillie on a valuable stretch of river.
There were of course manufacturers of huts, but very often these quirky little abodes were fashioned on the farm from surplus materials.
The huts are constructed using recycled chassis from touring caravans (this also makes them considerably more manoeuvrable than those on traditional iron wheels), the roofs are made from an old corn bin, and the timber for the work tops and seat covers is sourced from sustainable woods on the farm (as is the wood for the fires). The remaining timber used in the construction is all from responsibly farmed forests.
The paint is ‘Farrow and Ball’ which are dyed using natural pigments. The 12volt lighting system is powered via a solar panel on the roof.
You can read more about the sustainability credentials for a stay in our huts here.
Environment
The Original Hut Company was established as a way to help us protect the woods in which it is sited. Nick trained in woodland and game management at Sparsholt agricultural college. He continues to put that knowledge to good use through managing this project. Each aspect has been carefully designed to have the minimal possible detrimental impact on the environment in which it is placed.
The site is in an area of woodland that had been neglected for over 20 years: the trees had grown very tall, fighting for the little light that was able to penetrate the dense upper canopy. As a result there was minimal lower canopy growth and the woodland floor was a tangle of brambles.
As we have gradually brought the woodland back into a managed scheme, we have witnessed the most amazing rebirth of the woodland floor, beautiful native plants such as foxgloves and bluebells, which must have been dormant for years burst into life this summer. With this has come an increase in insect life, as well as birds, mammals and reptiles.
In a bid to continue to preserve the woodland as well as provide useable accommodation we have been careful to use local and recycled products wherever possible throughout the build.
The low voltage lighting runs from a solar panel mounted on each hut, and provides enough light for comfortable usage, but not enough to cause any real light pollution.
The heat is generated from logs, which are sourced from a sustainable coppicing programme around the farm, as well as the prunings from our cider orchards, which would otherwise be considered a waste product.
We use bottled gas for the hot water boiler and the hob in the huts. We don’t want to damage the land by digging deep trenches for pipes! The mains water supply is at The Hub. The water comes to the huts through flexipipe that is only a few inches below the ground, which minimised impact on the land.
Landscape
Having spent a lot of time and effort developing sustainable accommodation that works in harmony with the environment, we tend to attract guests with an interest in the landscape.
With this in mind Nick and I make a point of making ourselves available to spend some time with our guests. During this time we find ourselves explaining what is currently going on, both on our own farm and others in the area. We show people changes that have occurred in the immediate woodland and offer advice on all aspects of rural life within this beautiful landscape, from foraging to farming, forestry to fishing and everything in between.
For those who arrive with us with less of an interest in the countryside around them, I flag the key points of the countryside code in the arrival notes.
We work to promote other local businesses/attractions who are offering learning experiences. The most local is Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard; we show the footpath route to find it on our map of the farm as well as details of their woodland and vineyard trail.
We provide details of other local things to see and of that we feel would enhance our guests’ experience of the landscape in our arrival notes.
COMMUNITY
As an active part of the local community it is very important to us that the only impact our accommodation has on our friends and neighbours is positive. We work hard to actively promote activities and events in the local area and work in close conjunction with our two most local pubs, The Castle Inn and The White Dog Inn, as well as the Bodiam Ferry Company and the Curlew Restaurant. Our values run through our onsite Cafe, The Hub, too! We always ensure our menu is filled with local produce.
In the same way we use trades and craftsmen for the many support services we require, from web design and advertising to tree surgery. We are currently working to support an up and coming local photographer who has asked if he can display some of his work in the huts. We try to promote potentially connected local businesses by building links to them from our website as well as providing information about them to our guests on their arrival.