Trees Parks and Gardens of the Thames Valley

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Trees, Parks & Gardens of the Thames Valley

Trees can act as meeting places, landmarks and the inspiration of myth and legend. They are decorated on special ocasions, danced around and picknicked under. Bowers were built around them and some even had houses or platforms built in them on which people danced and enjoyed themselves. Pleasure gardens were a popular place in which to promenade to the strains of music (an idea which developed into the Proms at The Royal Albert Hall). City dwellers could take themselves there on an evening or weekend and re-enact the ideal of a rural Merry England. The greater landscape could be recreated on a smaller scale as a country house's landscape park or for every one in a public park. The garden played a vital part in the development of many of our outdoor celebrations.

London	.	London	.
TQ1876	Kew	Kew Gardens	.
TQ1569	Hampton	Bushy Park	.
TQ2782	Marylebone	Marylebone Gardens	.
TQ2677	Chelsea	Cremorne Gardens	.
TQ2777	Chelsea	Ranelagh Gardens	.
TQ3078	Vauxhall	Vauxhall Gardens	.
TQ2776	Battersea	Battersea Park: In 1951 for the Festival of Britain, Battersea Pleasure Gardens were created complete with fairground rides, restaurants and 3 Beer Gardens named after the once nearby Ranelagh, Vauxhall and Cremorne Gardens.	.
TQ3877	Greenwich	Greenwich Park	.
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Herts	.	Hertfordshire	.
TQ4097	Epping	Epping Forest	.
TQ4591	Ilford	Fairlop Oak : Under which Fairlop Fair was held.	.
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Windsor

Windsor Forest

SU7061

Stratfield Saye

Wellingtons Wellingtonia

SU8163

Finchampstead

Wellingtonia Avenue

SU8464

Crowthorne

The Crow Thorn (on Circle Hill) was a mark tree in the Forest of Windsor at the meeting point of Easthampstead, Sandhurst and Bigshot Walks. The modern parish of Crowthorne is named after it.

SU8571

Binfield

Elm which marked the Centre of Old Windsor Forest (shown here in a drawing from an old postcard). Stump stood until recently (2004) outside the Stag and Hounds pub. Also the site of maypole dancing in Elizabethan times.
Pope's Tree In a grove of Beech Trees. Under which Alexander Pope sat and wrote. Where'er you walk, cool gales shall fan the glade Trees, where you sit, shall crowd into a shade Where'er you tread, the blushing flow'rs shall rise And all things flourish, where'er you turn your eyes. Pastorals (Summer) 1709

Binfield Elm
The stump in the 1990's

SU8685

Marlow

Quarry Wood : Kenneth Grahame's inspiration for the Wildwood of "The Wind in the Willows"

SU9572

Windsor

Great Park

SU9585

Burnham

Burnham Beeches : The Cage Pollard : Filming location for "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves"

SU9676

Windsor

Home Park - Hernes Oak : This how Mistress Page in "The Merry Wives of Windsor" describes the legend of Herne the Hunter:

There is an old tale goes that Herne the Hunter,
Sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest,
Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns;
And there he blasts the tree, and takes cattle,
And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner.
You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know
The superstitious idle-headed eld
Received and did deliver to our age,
This tale of Herne the Hunter for a truth

A map of Windsor Castle and Datchet of 1897 marks the site of Herne's Oak next to the "Fairy Pit" Skating Pond

SU9973

Wraysbury

Ankerwycke Yew The tree under which Henry VII is said to have met Anne Boleyn and close to where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215.

Oxford

Oxfordshire

SU4298

Fyfield

Fyfield Elm Come, let me read the oft-read tale again! The story of the Oxford scholar poor, Of pregnant parts and quick inventive brain, Who, tired of knocking at Preferment's door, One summer-morn forsook His friends, and went to learn the Gipsy-lore, And roam'd the world with that wild brotherhood, And came, as most men deem'd to little good, But came to Oxford and his friends no more.	This said, he left them, and return'd no more, But rumours hung about the country-side That the lost Scholar long was seen to stray, Seen by rare glimpses, pensive and tongue-tied, In hat of antique shape, and cloak of grey, The same the gipsies wore. Shepherds had met him on the Hurst in spring; At some lone alehouse in the Berkshire moors, On the warm ingle-bench, the smock-frock'd boors Had found him seated at their entering But, 'mid their drink and clatter, he would fly: .......
But once, years after, in the country-lanes, Two scholars, whom at college erst he knew, Met him, and of his way of life inquired. Whereat he answer'd, that the Gipsy-crew, His mates, had arts to rule as they desired The workings of men's brains: And they can bind them to what thoughts they will: "And I," he said, "the secret of their art, When fully learn'd, will to the world impart: But it needs heaven-sent moments for this skill!"	........ Maidens, who from the distant hamlets come To dance around the Fyfield elm in May, Oft through the darkening fields have seen thee roam, Or cross a stile into the public way. Oft thou hast given them store Of flowers - the frail-leaf'd, white anemony, Dark bluebells drench'd with dews of summer eves, And purple orchises with spotted leaves- But none hath words she can report of thee. Selected verses from "The Scholar Gipsy" by Matthew Arnold (1822-88)

KennetE	.	Kennet East	.
SU2165	Savernake Forest	Big Belly Oak. The Devil appears to any one who dances naked 12 times anticlockwise round this tree (but also watch out for traffic on the A346 which passes right next to the tree!)	.
SU2265	Savernake Forest	King Oak and Queen Oak	.
SU3587	Childrey	Oldest Cedar of Lebanon in Britain, planted 1646 and one of only a few which survived the severe winter of 1740.	.
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KennetW	.	Kennet West	.
ST8589	Westonbirt	Arboretum & Westonbirt Lime Tree (over 2,000 years old and one of Britains Heritage Trees)
ST8770	Corsham	Corsham Court Plane Tree. Covers the largest area of any tree in Britain (it is as big as a football pitch)	.
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Mendips	.	Mendip, Quantock & Blackdown Hills	.	Calendar	.
ST4938	Glastonbury	Glastonbury Thorn (Wearyall Hill) : Which grew from the staff of Joseph of Aramathea and flowers on Christmas Day. A Pilgrimage is held to the Holy Thorn on Old Christmas Eve (5 January).	.	5Jan	.
ST2220	Corfe	Barton Grange: Near the village of Corfe, in a wood to the south-east of Barton Grange, radiating paths form an X still visible on the modern 1:25 000 OS map but in 1889 the subject of a paper by Joseph Houghton Spencer entitled "Ancient Trackways in England". In this he traces lines extending across the landscape from these paths , and concludes: "Having recorded these observations, I venture to suggest the following explanation: The general design of the works seems to be a central line of long distance signals, with more frequent posts to the right and left connecting the natural harbours at the mouths of the Wey, Axe, Otter, Exe, Teign, Parret, Brue, Avon, Medway, Thames and Humber ; also St. Glennys near Bude Haven, an important position on the Cornish coast, and Minehead. These direct signal line stations though no doubt connected with each other by trackways, would not always afford the best lines for principle roadways; and we find that the early ridgeways, so far as they have been traced, connected nearly all the foregoing points ; but owing to physical and other difficulties, not in straight lines." This gives an interesting alternative perspective on the Ley Lines proposed by Alfred Watkins in The Old Straight Track (1925). Whatever the truth in the matter it does show how features of landscape parks and gardens have been linked to the wider landscape. It is also true that, in the past, beacon systems have been widely used for way finding as well as for raising alarms in times of war and celebration in times of rejoicing.	.	.	The paths through the wood are said to align with a system of beacons across the landscape and the midsummer and midwinter sunrise and sunset.
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Exmoor	.	Exmoor	.	Calendar	.
ST0537	Nettlecombe Park	The park from the church yard.	.	.
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National	.	Other Sites in England & Wales	.
SX7585	Moretonhampstead	The Dancing Tree An Elm Tree which grew on the site of the old Market Cross came to be used for dancing in (on a platform). It blew over on the 13th October 1891 and after several attempts a new tree was established (a Copper Beech) which stands today protected by iron railings with the head of the old Market Cross. In the old Elm there was room for 6 couples to dance with an audience of 30 seated and an orchestra. It was used on special occasions such as May Day (instead of a Maypole one presumes).	.
SJ8308	Boscabel	Royal Oak : In which Charles II hid and escaped capture by Roundhead Soldiers.
SU8921	Midhurst	Cowdray Park. Queen Elizabeth I's Oak. Cowdray House: Tudor courtier's house built by Sir David Owen and completed by Sir William FitzWilliam Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal to Henry VIII. The house was destroyed by fire in 1793 and remains a ruin to this day. This is one of those places where Queen Elizabeth I looked down from an upstairs window on to locals doing their "English Country Dances", in this case Lord and Lady Montague and their tennants in 1591. It was shortly after this that the country dances were introduced to court as an antidote to the very formal dances being taught by the Italian dancing masters of the time. The ruins are a short walk from the centre of Midhurst on the banks of the River Rother. Tuesday August 18th 1591: Then did the Pilgrime conduct her Highnes to an oke not farre off , whereon her Majesties arms and all the armes of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of that Shire were hanged in eseutcheons most beutifull. And a Wilde Man cladde in ivie, at the sight of her Highnesse spoke the following: "Mightie Princesse, whose happines is attended by the Heavens, and whose government is wondered at upon the earth, vouchsafe to heare why this passage is kept, and this Oke honoured. The whole World is drawen in a mappe; the Heavens in a globe; and this Shire shrunke in a tree; and what your Majestie hath often heard off with some comfort, you may now beholde with full content. This Oke, from whose bodie so many armes doe spread, and out of whose armes so many fingers spring, resembles in parte your strength and happinesse: strength, in the number and honour; happinesse, in the trueth and consent. All heartes of oke, then which nothing surer, nothing sounder. All woven in one roote, then which nothing more constant, more naturall. The wall of this Shire is the sea, strong, but rampired with true hearts, invincible; where every private man's eie is a beacon to discover, everie noble man's power a bulwarke to defende. ...etc. Thursday August 20th 1591: In the evening the countrie people presented themselves to hir Majestie in a pleasaunt daunce, with taber and pipe; and the Lord Montegue and his lady among them, to the great pleasure of all the beholders, and gentle applause of hir Majestie.
SP3266	Leamington Spa	The Midland Oak: Said to mark the centre of England. Original removed in 1980's. New tree planted 1988.	.
SK6267	Sherwood Forest	Major Oak	.

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