Oliver land

Is  so  called  because  a  small  black  cat  was  sighted  on  the  land,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  valley,  adjacent  to  Minack.  This  little  black  cat was  living  wild  and  could  be  seen,  frequently,  hunting.  Jeannie  named  him  Oliver.  Jeannie  had  prepared  a  small  shelter  for  him  in  the woods along the lane near Monty's Leap. Eventually with feeding and coaxing he became part of the Minack household. Although  Derek  and  Jeannie  had  access  to  this  land,  some  18  acres,  it  was  not  originally  part  of  Minack.  It  wasn't  until  many  years later  that  it  came  up  for  sale.  Margaret  Smith  at  the  pottery  alerted  Derek  and  Jeannie  to  the  sale  and  they  managed  to  secure ownership with a 10 pence phone call.
Their decision to keep Oliver Land as a place for the wildlife long after they had gone was a deep felt wish that took a great deal of planning; to find not only the right people to be Trustees but also what to do after that role ceased. 
Derek also decided to have what he called ‘Associate Trustees’. These were to be people who he specially selected as he deemed that they were truly on the same Wavelength. If Oliver Land was threatened, the Associate Trustees could be called upon to help
Oliver  Land  is  a  registered  charity  under  the  name’  It  is  a  place for  the  wildlife  -  birds,  foxes,  badgers,  mice.  voles,  insects  and  butterflies.  Given  it's  location  it  is  not  accessible  from  the  road;  thus  it is  protected  from  crowds  of  visitors.  It  is  not  preserved  for  people  but  access  is  allowed  for  those  who  seek  solitude;  to  enjoy  the  quiet peace, to contemplate nature and the elements. 
Oliver  Land  includes  many  places  referred  to  in  the  books  such  as  'Jeannie's  Shelter',  Blackthorn  Alley',  'Clover  Downs'  'King  Alfred Meadow',  'Ambrose  Rock',  the  'Honeysuckle  Meadow',  the  latter  being  where  Derek  and  Jeannie's  ashes  were  scattered  and  where Ambrose also rests. This is a very private area so please do not try to enter it.Most readers will recall the poem which is associated with Oliver Land. It was written by Jeannie following Penny’s death. There are two verses and most readers will already know the second verse. 
Today  Oliver  Land  forms  part  of  A  Higher  Level  Stewardship  scheme,  operated  by   managed  by  land  owners.  With  ownership  of  land  comes  responsibility  to  care  for  it.  This  scheme  makes  it  is  possible  for  Oliver  Land to  be  maintained  and  cared  for  in  a  way  that  Derek  and  Jeannie  would  have  understood.  To  quote  Natural  England  ‘Oliver  Land  was, along  with  Rosemodress  Farm,  targeted  for  HLS  by  the  RSPB  and  Natural  England  to  put  in  place  appropriate  management  to  benefit Chough......’.    It  is  registered  as  Permissive Access  as  part  of  the  HLS  and  that  is  effective  until  2020.

A  map  of  Oliver  Land  is  available for you to view at.