Garden Mouse Village By Simon Dell In Yorkshire, England

Hello. My name is Simon Dell, and I am presenting you with my garden mouse village. I have always been interested in wildlife photography and got my first DSLR eight years ago. Over time, I have made my garden more wildlife-friendly and often sit outside taking photos of birds on the feeders.

One day, after I had just cut the lawn and sat down with the camera on the patio, I spotted movement in the freshly cut grass. As I looked down and zoomed in, a little mouse stood upright. I named him George. He vanished, so I placed a peanut in the same spot the next day. I was overjoyed when the mouse came out again from just under the fence.

Then, I decided to make him a safe, tiny home, knowing there were cats just beyond the fence. I piled small logs, twigs, and moss over a makeshift house and used a coconut shell as a door. I placed some seeds and nuts inside, and the mouse came right in.

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01. This Is George—often Easy To Spot As He Has A Cut In His Ear And Is Always So Cute

I have been adding to and improving the mouse log pile home. I made it more solid, adding doors, windows, and even new homes and buildings—all made from recycled bits of wood. The mice have a village with a pub, bookstore, cake, bakery shop, schoolhouse, train station, airplane, cars, and motorcycles. You name it, they have it!

Over the following days, another mouse appeared, and we called her Mildred—much like the old UK TV show George and Mildred. Then, a week or so later, out came a tiny baby mouse who was beyond cute. My wife named her Mini because she was so small.

02. Two Of The First Mice In The Log Pile House

03. The Whole Mouse Village Is Fast Becoming A Town

Since 2018, we have continued building and expanding the village, which might be the first and only mouse village in Yorkshire, England. We have seen many generations of mice come and go, with many babies born and growing to adulthood.

You can follow our fantastic story on Facebook. We are also working on a new storybook about one man and his mice, sharing true, fact-based stories about the mice I care for daily.

04. The Mouse Village Store And A Little Shopkeeper At The Door

05. The Village Pub, The Log Pile Inn—you Can Even See One Of The Mice Enjoying A Cold Drink

Challenges with the village have often been maintenance as it is very much a living structure covered with moss and plants, and it often needs tending, much like a garden. Brambles need trimming, and the garden birds and hedgehogs love to dig up the moss covering. Often, the blackbirds can pluck up almost all of the moss, which can take a day to put back or replace. Also, as all the buildings are handmade by me from recycled wood, things often need repairs or replacement as they can rot. Protecting the mice from cats or other wildlife is a challenge, but as I built the mouse village solid and robust with only holes the size of a mouse, nothing else can get inside, and by giving them food at the doors or holes, they do not need to venture out much to forage.

06. One Of The Mice Is In The Wrong Trousers With Robotic Legs

07. The Mice Even Have A Mini Mouse Henge On A Mossy Hill

Many moments have stuck in my mind as mice, more so baby mice, can be very comical as they play and explore this magical little world. Seeing a mouse getting onto a motorcycle into a car or even sitting in a little plane was all fun.

The most memorable story would be my first meeting with the first mouse, who I named George back in 2018 when the mouse village started, and we were the first, if not only, mouse village in the UK. That day, I had just cut the lawn and sat down on the patio to take photos of birds on the feeders, and out came George the mouse on the lawn. As he was small, he stood upright like a little meerkat so he could see over the grass. That was when I noticed him and got my first photo. As days passed, I placed a peanut for him, and he came out every time without fear of my camera clicking or me. Knowing cats were around, I made him a safer place to eat his peanuts. So, I built a small log pile with a little room within. From that point on, the village has grown and grown. My Facebook page and the idea have inspired many other pages to do the same as me and build their mouse villages, so mice worldwide now have a safe place to call home.

08. We Have Lots Of Brambles Growing By The Log Pile, And The Mice Love The Berries Each Summer

09. One Of The Mice Is Out For A Drive In Her Mini Car

Many have said, and I am sure many more will say, “You will be overrun with mice. They breed so fast, and they will come into your home.” The fact is that has never been the case. The village is maybe 15 feet from my back door, and we do not have one mouse in our house, and there are no problems with overpopulation. Some may have ventured into my shed, but to be honest, my shed is a mess, so they are welcome to live there if they wish. As I say to many, I have given the mice everything outside that they often search for inside our homes – food, shelter, warm bed. Give them that outdoors, and they will be happy.

10. The Village Bookstore

11. The Start Of The First Log Pile House By The Tree Where The Mouse First Came Out

Me and my grandchildren, Evie, Lucas, Piper, Liara, and Gunnar, all love sitting out to watch the mice, and they find it all magical, like a little fantasy world that I am sure will inspire them as they grow to love nature. I also add that I first started photography 10 years ago to help deal with my mental health after a crisis point. I found getting a camera helped me get back out and meet new people and gave me a goal or reason to want to wake up in the morning. Once I started the mouse village, I found the happy place where I could use all my skills and hobbies – crafting, wood carving, clay art, and photography – on my doorstep in my South Yorkshire Garden.