Oh dear, Devon Banks!

In Devon the fields are enclosed not by mere hedges, fences or even stone walls but by hedgebanks tall, broad and imposing.

These monstrous structures comprise a tall earthen bank, roughly faced with field stones and topped with the usual grown hedgerow plants seen elsewhere.

A typical Devon Bank, showing the earthen bank faced with stone.
A typical Devon Bank, showing the earthen bank faced with stone.

Their sheer bulk has ensured that they survived the destruction visited on hedgerows elsewhere in the country during and after the Second World War. The gains in acreage and therefore income did not make up for the costs in removing them; the poor soil left behind required copious fertiliser or scarce topsoil to equal the productivity  of the surrounding fields.

Recognition of the special contribution the hedgebanks make to the landscape of Devon means that developers are often required to reinstate or repair them as part of planning conditions. Unfortunately few of these efforts actually result in anything which could be called an authentic Devon bank.

Most often we see some odd construction not quite a Devon bank and not quite a dry-stone wall.

Dry stone wall imitation of a Devon Bank
Dry stone wall imitation of a Devon Bank
A very polite version, found on a business Park in Plymouth
A very polite version, found on a business Park in Plymouth

While not hideous in themselves these are often built alongside existing original banks which only serves to emphasise their alien nature, as the following example shows. On the left is the original hedebank and on the right is an infill or repair in dry-stone effect.

Original hedgebank 'repaired' with a modern dry-stone wall version
Original hedgebank ‘repaired’ with a modern dry-stone wall version

You have to wonder whether the architects, landscape designers and builders actually looked at what they were doing and noticed the clumsy effect.

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