AN historic wall on the National Trust's Holnicote Estate has been fully restored after more than six year, thanks to a dedicated volunteer team. Known as the Selworthy Wall, the four kilometre boundary is a 'corn bank', likely to be of medieval origin that runs on the south facing slopes above Bossington, Allerford and Selworthy villages. It was originally built to protect the newly cultivated fields from the moorland. Today, its purpose is to keep grazing stock out of the woodland and on the coastal heathland, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, above. In 2007, a request for help to restore the wall on the Holnicote Estate looked unlikely to be met. For many years, temporary wall repairs had been carried out by the Ranger team but there was neither the time nor resources to undertake restoration. Two volunteers surveyed the entire wall and took 150 photographs to record its state of repair, which was very poor. After looking at the survey, a small dedicated group of trust volunteers decided to attempt the project, unsure whether it was really possible. They initially focused on the main three kilometre central stretch of the wall. Alistair Campbell, a member of the team said: 'When we started on this project, we really didn't know what we had taken on. "There have been some tough moments but there have been many more great days on the wall. We have been visited by inquisitive stags and foxes; eyed up by buzzards and woodpeckers and adopted by robins and wrens. "We have been befriended by locals and tourists alike and over the years, they have seen the wall restored to its former glory." After three years, when the restoration of the central stretch was nearing completion, the wall-builders took on the challenge of repairing and restoring the remaining sections of wall. It meant tackling sections that were either derelict or had almost entirely disappeared. This also posed significant logistical difficulties, being on steep gradients, having access only on foot and lacking materials. But in May 2014, the final stones were relaid after a huge volunteer-led project. Ranger and volunteer manager Paul Camp said: "The volunteers have done an amazing job and shown incredible skill, dedication and perseverance throughout the project. "In a wider context, it really helps to broaden the support and understanding of the Trust's conservation work both to the volunteers themselves and the millions of visitors who come to the property." Now the volunteer team faces a new task and labour of love - the wall's ongoing maintenance and upkeep. PIctured from the left in front of Selworthy Wall are volunteers, standing, Alistair Campbell, Gill Campbell, Hannah Pickard, Heather Newman and Terry Barnhouse. Photo: National Trust