Pigs dig in to help restore Nercwys shepherd's cottage

Pigs help clear the undergrowth in the paddock at Nercwys shepherd's cottage

A project to restore an original shepherd's cottage is using pigs to clear a big area of undergrowth where livestock once grazed.

The 200-year-old cottage and compound in Coed Nercwys Forest, near Mold, has been derelict and overgrown since 1964 when it was flattened to make the site safe.

Since then a massive forest has sprung up around the cottage but a big restoration project has since been launched to restore the cottage's footprint to show visitors how the site would have looked - with some help from the pigs.

"People remember a time before the forest was planted when this was open moorland and on the crest of the hill was an old shepherd's cottage - so we decided to investigate further," said Denbighshire countryside officer David Shiel.

The scene before the restoration project got underway

The walls of the cottage have been restored and the aim is to transform the adjoining paddock into a wild flower meadow once the pigs have finished their work.

Mr Shiel said: "We could have ploughed it but instead we've borrowed some Oxford Sandy and Black pigs from Moch Merllyn, in Cyffylliog, and in a few months they will clear the land."

The work of the pigs is already receiving a following with enquiries coming in from overseas.

Mr Shiel said: "We've found they have even got a following in the USA on the internet and there are people over there who are very interested in them and what they get up to."

Children from nearby Nercwys Primary School have been involved in the project by the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Forestry Commission and rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd.

The pupils left their own mark on the area's history, burying a time capsule within the cottage's restored walls. In it are pictures and information about each of them for future generations to discover.

The cottage was used as holiday accommodation in later years

An appeal for information from people who remember the cottage also brought a good response, including the memories of Ray Davies, 89, from Mold.

He said: "I used to come here nearly 80 years ago collecting whinberries to sell in Mold.

"The walled enclosure was used then to breed pheasants and there was a lady in a wheelchair who used to come up here and spend six months staying here.

"Her father had a furniture business in Liverpool and she used to be brought here in the furniture wagon."

With the help of the Moch Merllyn pigs, it's hoped more of the ground surrounding the cottage will be uncovered and preserved as a reminder of the area's farming heritage.