’10 years, 10 buildings, 10,000 ’ – that’s the title of a released recently to mark the project’s 10th anniversary, and it nicely sums up the journey that Emily Charkin and Dan Morrish have been on since they purchased this 62-acre woodland site in 2014. The chestnut coppice in the heart of the East Sussex countryside, about 20 minutes’ drive from Tunbridge Wells, was already a popular local spot, but when Dan and Emily arrived with their three young children, they had grander ambitions. They wanted to create a community hub where visitors could learn more about the natural environment and actively take part in the stewardship of the woods.
Over the years, a resident crew of artisans and craftspeople gathered, and the project expanded: a pottery kiln, an outdoor cookhouse and a bathhouse were added – all of these structures built using timber felled in the woods. Wilderness Wood became a place where you could come to stay overnight – first on the campsite, and then in shepherd’s huts or in one of the two treehouses that Dan built with the help of his volunteers. The programme of activities grew as well to include music nights, art workshops, courses and cookouts.
A new Health hut offered massages and other holistic therapies. Today, Wilderness Wood welcomes over 30,000 visitors each year, all of them drawn by the energy of this truly unique natural setting. Biophilic design – where organic patterns and shapes are incorporated into manmade architecture – .