FOAM (Friends Of Ancient Monuments) is an informal and occasional gathering of volunteers who spend time working on monuments that need some work to enhance their appearance and preservation, by clearing scrub, emptying moats, etc. Generally these monuments are overgrown, often with trees growing their roots into the monuments, which causes damage to the underlying structures.
We work at weekends between October and March, and work in recent years has been carried out at Odiham Castle, Basing House and Danebury hill fort.
At Odiham Castle we clear out the moat each year to ensure it remains visible. In 2012 we replaced fencing around the castle and planted some 350 hedge plants within the fencing to protect the walls.
Odiham Castle 2012
- Basing House fishponds
At Basing House we removed the scrub and small trees to reveal the Tudor fishponds.
At Danebury we are clearing a large area to enable sheep to start grazing and keep the scrub under control.
Danebury Hill Fort
Our next FOAM session will be at Odiham Castle on the 22nd of November 2014. If you would like to join in or find out more, please contact us
For information about FOAM in other areas of the Wessex region please click here