An Introduction
The world of Featherhill Country is based in the hills north of Barnstaple, North Devon. Its residents are fictional, but the location is not. However, a lot of the animals, such as pheasents, pigeons and others do actually live there.
So…
These characters which live in this place vary from pheasents to chickens, pigeons to ducks and other creatures which haven’t got feathers, which includes rabbits and squirrels.
The birds tend to live in deserted fox dens (they have to be certain they are deserted though), in natural caves below trees or in the rock of the hills’ sides.
What does the place look like?
The hill where Featherhill Country is based is a semi-wild hill, which is surrounded by lanes on all sides. The hill itself is in open country , on which hedgrows and gorse criss-cross.
The views spread across the other local hills and towards the estury at Barnstaple. Many characters sit outside their homes and watch the views as the sun sets, while having their evening tea. When this happens, the sun covers the hills in its golden light.
On the south-eastern side of the hill are some woods. In the spring, they are covered in primroses, fresh green leaves, bluebells and wild garlic. By autumn, the ground in a number of places is covered in bracken, creating a perfect home for the animals who come to visit Featherhill in the autumn to collect nuts and berries from the nearby trees.
Below the woods, the hill briefly ends in a flat, narrow valley before another hill looms nextdoor to this one. In this valley, a small stream runs its way through the wooded valley, bringing water to the Featherhill community. This place is also where the occasional trades-bird or rabbit ends up leaving their deer and carts, after gazing up in despair at the hill up which they are to climb. They usually have to transport the rest of the goods one at a time!
Who lives here?
One character who lives here is Buttercup the chicken. She recently moved from Wiltshire to Devon and has just completed her first winter here. She lives in a spacious ‘house’ under an old beech tree’s roots in an ancient stone wall/hedge. This house she calls ‘Bluebell Cottage’ , as bluebells flower there in the spring.
She is hoping her good friend Rose (who still lives in Wiltshire currently) will be able to visit soon.
The picture of Buttercup on the front of the card ‘Chicken Reading Letter’ shows her reading a letter from Rose. She is very happy as her friend has decided to come over and help Buttercup explore this strange new area she has found herself in.
Buttercup’s home, however, isn’t the only ‘house’ here, nor is she the only resident.
Many of the characters live in the ‘town’ of Fernbank, which is a very high bank above a nearby lane, where many homes are hidden in the side of it.
Down in the valley below the hill, a stream runs through the woods. Down here, there is another place, a hamlet, called Streamvale. A few ducks, squirrels, pheasents and others live down here.
Near the top of the hill, the Pheasent family live at Pheasenthill View, which their home in the hedgerow. Their names are Phil, Florance, Flora, Phillipa and Fred. They are very happy where they are.
Nearby the Pheasents’ home is the hamlet of Hedgefield, which is a small community of pheasents, pigeons, rabbits, chickens and a duck.
This community tends to live off the land, though they often go to the larger place of Fernbank for supplies they cannot get from te land such as wheat and clothing for the cold winter months.
On the other side of the lane to Fernbank, there is a long row of ancient beech trees, perched on the top of another high bank.
Under the large, twisting roots lies Beech House, which is a ‘stately home’ which has belonged to the Beechwood family for generations.
This family is a family of three Dorking chickens (the oldest breed of chickens in this country).These three are called Gerald and Margaret and their daughter Clementine.
Eventhough they live in Beech House and often put on airs around others, they are not actually that rich. Instead, They tend to barter with goods to obtain needed or wanted things. Even their pair of roe deer (which pull their carriage, as they have one) eat the grass on the hill above the the Beechwoods’ home and are not stabled, but look after themselves.
Their attendants and cooks work for food, shelter and a loving home, instead of wheat (the accepted way of payment around Featherhill Country), which helps reduce costs further.
So that is a quick introdution to strange world of Featherhill Country. I shall do more of these articles once I have discovered more about this place myself, for I have only recently moved to North Devon.
If you wish to know more about this, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me either by comment or email.