This is where we post news about St.Ives Estate, the Friends group and anything relevant to both.
March 2024 - 5th
St.Ives Mansion house was on fire and up to eight fire engines and fifty fire fighters were in attendance. Despite several hindrances, such as having to retrieve water from Coppice Pond, the fire department were able to successfully get the fire under control.
We are extremely upset about this blaze and the possible loss of this building which stands in the very heart of the estate grounds and has done so for several hundred years. Widely reported as a derelict nursing home by the media this was a very important historical building to the Bingley district. Depicted below is an artistic impression of the rear of the mansion and gardens from the mid 19th century.
St.Ives Mansion house was on fire and up to eight fire engines and fifty fire fighters were in attendance. Despite several hindrances, such as having to retrieve water from Coppice Pond, the fire department were able to successfully get the fire under control.
We are extremely upset about this blaze and the possible loss of this building which stands in the very heart of the estate grounds and has done so for several hundred years. Widely reported as a derelict nursing home by the media this was a very important historical building to the Bingley district. Depicted below is an artistic impression of the rear of the mansion and gardens from the mid 19th century.
February 2024
Information from Bradford Council
Due to recent theft of parking ticket machines at St. Ives Estate, Bingley parking charges have been suspended
The machines were removed over the weekend of 3rd -5th and 10th - 12th February 2024.
We are appealing for any information that may assist with our enquiries; please phone West Yorkshire Police on 101, Bradford Council on 01274 431000 or email [email protected]
All calls will be treated as confidential.
July 2023
We are pleased to announce that the main statutory felling and rhododendron clearing work on the St Ives Estate has been completed, allowing road closures and mid-week restrictions to be lifted. Thank you to everyone who cooperated with these measures. As we progress with reinstatement and prepare for replanting, visitors (and their dogs) are kindly asked to remain on the main path network and follow any temporary signs and diversions around localised works.
Volunteering opportunities at St Ives, Bingley
Now that the tree felling and rhododendron clearance work at St Ives, Bingley is mostly complete, we're looking for volunteers to help restore and replant in affected areas. Our vision is to create a sustainable woodland full of native trees that future generations can enjoy and share. We're calling on the community to help us make this a reality. This article outlines the various activities that will take place and how volunteers could participate: https://bradforddistrictparks.org/st-ives-felling-update.../
To register your interest, please get in touch with the Trees and Woodlands Team at [email protected]
20th February 2023
FILMING will be taking place on the access road through the St Ives Estate from the children's playground down to the entrance/exit from Harden Road on Wednesday, February 22nd. Therefore this section of the road will be closed off, but the entrance/exit at the Keighley Road will be open as usual. This will be from 6 am until 3.30 pm.They are filming a scene for a new BBC drama called The Boat.
The BBC and the Production Company apologise for any inconvenience caused by this.
FILMING will be taking place on the access road through the St Ives Estate from the children's playground down to the entrance/exit from Harden Road on Wednesday, February 22nd. Therefore this section of the road will be closed off, but the entrance/exit at the Keighley Road will be open as usual. This will be from 6 am until 3.30 pm.They are filming a scene for a new BBC drama called The Boat.
The BBC and the Production Company apologise for any inconvenience caused by this.
Issue Date:07 February 2023
Council takes action on diseased trees at St Ives estate
Bradford Council’s Trees and Woodlands team is taking action to prevent the spread of a disease that can kill trees.
‘Larch Tree Disease’ or Phytophthora ramorum has hit a number of trees at St Ives Estate in Bingley. The Forestry Commission has issued a Statutory Plant Health Notice to the council, instructing it to remove the infected species within six months.
The disease mostly affects larch and sweet chestnut but is also hosted by rhododendron and is highly infectious, causing ‘sudden death’ in trees.
Clearing out the infected trees will reduce the amount of diseased material and prevent it spreading to other commercial forest plantations. Invasive rhododendron, which is a host for the disease, will also be cleared at the same time, as part of a plan to regenerate the ancient native woodland which dates back to the early 19th Century.
The work will be carried out at the western side of the estate, between Coppice Pond and Keighley Road known as Lady Blantyre’s Wood. Some trees will also be removed from Bingley St Ives Golf Club to the north. Felling operations are expected to begin on 1 March and be completed by 1 September 2023.
The felled trees will be dealt with by contractors licensed to handle infected trees, and sent away for processing in to saw logs, fencing and woodchip.
The work will mean that some routes and areas of woodland will be closed when machines are operating.
The Keighley Road entrance will be closed Monday to Friday to visitors and through traffic, but will be open during the weekends. The free car parking at the Keighley Road side and the pay and display at Coppice Pond will be suspended until the works are completed. The Bingley Road entrance free parking and pay and display at Low Park, Play Area and golf club public car parking will operate as normal.
The footpaths and bridleways running through Lady Blantyre’s Wood and Coppice Pond will be closed Monday to Friday whilst forestry operations are in progress. No disruption to golfers on the estate is expected.
The larch trees were planted in the late 1940s to replace trees lost during two world wars and to help the UK meet its future needs for timber. St Ives was first struck with the disease in 2014 when Betty’s Woodland was cleared. This area was restocked with both planted and naturally regenerating native trees.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, portfolio holder for Healthy People and Places said: “We appreciate that the felling will cause some disruption to visitors to St Ives and it will dramatically alter its appearance until regeneration and new planting gets underway. We ask that everyone observes the temporary access restrictions and closures so that work can be completed quickly and safely. Once the felling is complete we will be running a number of community planting days to restock the cleared areas.”
Bob Thorp, Bradford Council’s Senior Parks & Green Spaces Manager, said: “The long term plan for the estate’s woodlands is to convert them from conifer plantations back to native broadleaved woodland, similar to the early 19th Century. This also involves removing the blanketing rhododendron cover, as it supresses native plants and acts a host to the disease which can affect bilberry.
"Native woodland supports more bird and animal life and is a better fit for this type of landscape. From a climate point of view the carbon captured in the felled trees will be locked away in construction timbers while the new trees will carry on the work of absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.”
For further information email [email protected]
Council takes action on diseased trees at St Ives estate
Bradford Council’s Trees and Woodlands team is taking action to prevent the spread of a disease that can kill trees.
‘Larch Tree Disease’ or Phytophthora ramorum has hit a number of trees at St Ives Estate in Bingley. The Forestry Commission has issued a Statutory Plant Health Notice to the council, instructing it to remove the infected species within six months.
The disease mostly affects larch and sweet chestnut but is also hosted by rhododendron and is highly infectious, causing ‘sudden death’ in trees.
Clearing out the infected trees will reduce the amount of diseased material and prevent it spreading to other commercial forest plantations. Invasive rhododendron, which is a host for the disease, will also be cleared at the same time, as part of a plan to regenerate the ancient native woodland which dates back to the early 19th Century.
The work will be carried out at the western side of the estate, between Coppice Pond and Keighley Road known as Lady Blantyre’s Wood. Some trees will also be removed from Bingley St Ives Golf Club to the north. Felling operations are expected to begin on 1 March and be completed by 1 September 2023.
The felled trees will be dealt with by contractors licensed to handle infected trees, and sent away for processing in to saw logs, fencing and woodchip.
The work will mean that some routes and areas of woodland will be closed when machines are operating.
The Keighley Road entrance will be closed Monday to Friday to visitors and through traffic, but will be open during the weekends. The free car parking at the Keighley Road side and the pay and display at Coppice Pond will be suspended until the works are completed. The Bingley Road entrance free parking and pay and display at Low Park, Play Area and golf club public car parking will operate as normal.
The footpaths and bridleways running through Lady Blantyre’s Wood and Coppice Pond will be closed Monday to Friday whilst forestry operations are in progress. No disruption to golfers on the estate is expected.
The larch trees were planted in the late 1940s to replace trees lost during two world wars and to help the UK meet its future needs for timber. St Ives was first struck with the disease in 2014 when Betty’s Woodland was cleared. This area was restocked with both planted and naturally regenerating native trees.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, portfolio holder for Healthy People and Places said: “We appreciate that the felling will cause some disruption to visitors to St Ives and it will dramatically alter its appearance until regeneration and new planting gets underway. We ask that everyone observes the temporary access restrictions and closures so that work can be completed quickly and safely. Once the felling is complete we will be running a number of community planting days to restock the cleared areas.”
Bob Thorp, Bradford Council’s Senior Parks & Green Spaces Manager, said: “The long term plan for the estate’s woodlands is to convert them from conifer plantations back to native broadleaved woodland, similar to the early 19th Century. This also involves removing the blanketing rhododendron cover, as it supresses native plants and acts a host to the disease which can affect bilberry.
"Native woodland supports more bird and animal life and is a better fit for this type of landscape. From a climate point of view the carbon captured in the felled trees will be locked away in construction timbers while the new trees will carry on the work of absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.”
For further information email [email protected]