Our story goes back to the early decades of the previous century and a Canadian author, artist and naturalist called Ernest Thompson Seton who toured the South West of England talking about his Native American inspired alternative to the Scouting movement, which he saw as too militaristic at that time. This went down well with the pacifist persuasions of the Quakers of Sidcot in Somerset who created a movement inspired by Seton’s teachings. This peculiarly named organisation, the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry, began in 1916 there at the Sidcot Lodge encouraging self reliance, self sufficiency and a desire to ‘respond to the call of the world of nature’.

Greatly influenced by the ravages of World War One, in 1919, a key member of the order, Ernest Westlake, purchased Sandy Balls in the New Forest to further the aspirations of the OWC and where his son, Aubrey Westlake, began an experiment in progressive schooling, the Forest School. With Norman Glaister, who later co-founded Braziers Park, and Arthur Cobb, who went on to raise funds via a latter-day go-fund-me to purchase Whitwell Hall, Grith Fyrdd camps, which strove to give dignity to unemployed men, also began at Sandy Balls.

In 1938 the Forest School moved to Whitwell Hall and Grith Fyrdd, which means Peace Army, had expanded to a second site in Shining Cliff in Derbyshire. This second mens’ camp still survives in the form of Grith Pioneers who managed the SSSI Shining Cliff woods for the local community. However, the school at Whitwell Hall was requisitioned by the army in 1939 and never reopened. After the war, a group of ex staff and pupils from the school formed the charity Forest School Camps which still thrives today and Norman and Arthur (and others) were left deciding the future of Whitwell Hall. Norman wanted it to be the home for his group that wished to explore intentional community but Arthur felt it should house a ‘child-centred project’. Norman’s group went on to found Braziers Park in South Oxfordshire and Whitwell became the centre for children’s environmental education that Reepham residents will know and love.

Over the years Whitwell Hall has acted as a base for both local schools and those from farther afield to use for field trips and outdoor activities with knowledgeable wardens to support their stay. For many children visiting from the cities Whitwell Hall provided there first encounters of the countryside and the animals that inhabit it.

Hundreds of families have camped at Whitwell Hall during the summer holidays and many Forest School Camps have been hosted in its fields. Whitwell Hall provided a space for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to experience the countryside in a safe and supportive environment with the Welly Wednesday group being hosted hear. In recent years Whitwell Hall also ran the Reepham rover community minibus service and hosted a regular lunch club.