SHAFTESBURY’S SIGNIFICANT TREES

“I had never noticed it until

’Twas gone - the narrow copse

Where now the woodman lops

The last of the willows with his bill…”

From ‘First Known When Lost’ by Edward Thomas

Sue Clifford & Angela King of Shaftesbury Tree Group write: Following the recent illegal felling of the Sycamore Gap tree and lopping of the old oak tree at Whitewebbs Park in Enfield, London, we feel it is time to review the protection afforded to our trees and update our 2007 list of the town's 50 most significant trees. The Shaftesbury Tree Group wish developers, architects, planners, estate agents and tree surgeons to be aware of local people’s great affection for their trees and appreciation of their importance; we want to prevent them being damaged or felled by default.

Please help us by taking a good look at our wonderful heritage of trees during your walks around town, by asking friends and by sending us your list of the ones you feel are the most ‘significant’.

We have taken ‘Significant Trees’ to be those of particular importance for their visual appearance, contribution to the character and beauty of the town, their support for nature, and which are held in special affection by the people of Shaftesbury. We  give preference to trees that can be easily seen from roads, paths and public places, but all have their intrinsic value.

Large or imposing individual trees in the town give visual impact, scale and contrast to our buildings and a sense of continuity to streets and gardens. Groups and clumps of trees, especially at the entrances to the town, or which can be seen upon approaching, give the appearance of an established, cultured and welcoming locality with a deep sense of place.

SHAFTESBURY’S SIGNIFICANT TREES will be the only topic for discussion at the next Tree Group Meeting in July.  

BACKGROUND:

The Shaftesbury Tree Group was formed in 2002 following the felling of the magnificent sycamore tree at the entrance to the Health Centre by St Rumbold’s Church on Salisbury Road. Few people had been informed the tree was coming down. For those of us who came by when the tree surgeon brought out his chainsaw, it was a real shock to contemplate the loss a favourite landmark with no warning. Our protests gave the tree a short stay of execution, (and incidentally the main trunk of the tree was as sound as a bell), but we resolved to work for a better system of informing local people about the richness of our trees.

The Group’s first task was to make a survey of the medium to large sized trees in the parish/town that are visible from roads and footpaths. We each looked at the trees in the streets near to where we lived, and now many trees have been recorded and photographed. See list below.

50 Significant Trees from 2007

1. Abbey Walk Austrian? Pine (Pinus nigra) Westminster Hospital Grounds,. Mature, approximately 50 ft high. “Part of the skyline.” "Free standing on rising ground, as seen from Park Walk, it makes a terrific focal point and silhouette against the sky”. Situated in the Conservation Area.

2. Angel Lane Yew (Taxus beccata) in front of Cedars Nursing Home. Semi-mature, approx 40 feet high. “Very important in an area devoid of trees. Foil to bleak vista beyond…” In a Conservation Area.

3 Barton Hill Mixed Group Barton Hill House grounds Many of our fine, mature trees are in the gardens of large houses, and this group is a good example, comprising silver lime, large-leaved lime, wellingtonia, copper beech and tulip tree. These tall, landmark trees can be seen from a wide area. Trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) Area Order.

4 Bleke Street Beech (Fagus sylvetica) Palladwr House These huge, imposing trees are two of the largest, and most magnificent beeches in Shaftesbury, towering over everything else in the vicinity. Approx 70-80 feet, together forming a beautiful shape. They are protected by a TPO Area Order.

5 Bleke Street Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) in garden of Bleke House. This magnificent tree is set back from the street, but because of its size can be seen from a distance. One of the most beautiful free-standing beeches in town. Protected by a TPO.

6 Bimport Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) - in a garden hedge abutting the allotments. Beautifully dome-shaped large tree completes the view at the bottom of the grass path. Sycamores support an abundance of aphids - essential food for aerial feeding birds such as swallows, house martins and swifts. Situated in Conservation Area.

7 Bimport English Oak (Quercus robur) Two large oak trees grow from the hedgerow by the road and allotments. A few other old field hedgerow oaks survive - such as on Hawkesdene Lane. Perhaps they are happier growing in the clay of the Vale? (In the Conservation Area).

8 Bimport Beech. Large, single tree growing in the garden of Castle Hill House. It stands proud with the Blackmore Vale below. (In the Conservation Area).

9. The Butts/Church Hill, Enmore Green Yew (Taxus baccata) Four multi-stemmed English yew trees border The Butts and stream beside the churchyard. A possibly older yew sits in the hedge above the church with another fine specimen by the footpath. (In the Conservation Area).

10 & 11 Butt’s Knapp Copper Beech (Fagus sylvetica ‘Purpurea’) Behind the war memorial on a mound enclosed by a low stone wall on the corner of Salisbury Road and Butts Knapp, these trees probably date from the 18th century. They grow beautifully together, and dominate the view from both approaches along Salisbury Road/Street. Protected by a TPO.

12 Butts Knapp Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’) Butt’s Knapp House Free-standing large tree on corner of Butts Knapp and the Lower Blandford Road, probably the same age as its neighbour. Beautiful foliage in spring and summer and silhouette in winter. An old-fashioned unintrusive cable brace has been installed to support the large lower limb that overhangs the parking area. The tree is 19.2 metres or 62 feet tall. Protected by a TPO.

13 Christy’s Lane Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) These two trees are possibly relict field boundary trees. They form a group on a grassy bank, offering a much needed foil to the new developments behind. They have been crown reduced which has affected their shape.

14 Christy’s Lane hippocastanum) Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatunus) & Horse Chestnut (Aesculus Stand together, with the footpath running between them. They add much needed height to this newly developed area. Recently crown reduced.

15 Christy’s Lane Beech (Fagus sylvatica) A single, beautifully shaped specimen on a grassy bank, that will gain in prominence as it matures.

16 Christy’s Lane Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) Set back from the road in the verge stands this relict field hedgerow tree. It is a large, fine tree with a big crown. A landmark tree.

17 & 18 Christy’s Lane Beech (Fagus sylvatica) & Lime (Tilea europea) A magnificent group of tall beech and two common limes to the side and in front of the Royal Chase Hotel, probably planted in the 18th century when it was a private residence called Belmont House. Other mature trees in the grounds include copper beech and sycamore. They form a wonderful entrance to the town. Protected by a TPO Area Order.

19 Coppice Street Scots Pine These stand in a tall group on a grassy verge on the prominent corner of Coppice Street and Christy’s Lane. In some places Scots pines indicate the presence of an inn nearby - is this clump a forgotten landmark? Add - this corner was called The Firs??

20 Hawkesdene Lane Scots Pine Scots pines were planted by a previous landholder as boundary trees - three can still be found along Hawkesdene Lane - also along the Lower Blandford Road. Raspberry Lane and at the corner of Paynes Place at the entrance to the town from the Gillingham Road.

21 High Street Birch These two young graceful trees on the edge of Somerfield car park help to soften this harsh corner. Situated in the Conservation Area.

22. Kingsman Lane Beech Large single garden tree. It towers above rooftops of the houses at the bottom of Gold Hill, with the Blackmore Vale as a backdrop. In the Conservation Area.

23 The Knapp Ash By the car park of The Fountain Inn. “This three-stemmed hedgerow tree makes this place and should turn into a stunner as time goes by - if left alone. “ In the Conservation Area.

24 Layton Lane Copper Beech Set back in a garden on the slope that rises up to the town, this huge tree “makes a visual stop between the top and bottom of the hill” and is much loved by those who live on Gold Hill and who use Layton Lane. In the Conservation Area.

25 Lower Blandford Road Scots Pine Six large Scots pines and two larches grow in the gardens that back onto the Lower Blandford Road. Remnants of old boundary trees, “you can her the zi-zi calls of the goldcrests that visit in winter”. Protected by TPOs.

26 Mampitts Lane Sycamore Another beautiful free-standing sycamore growing in a hedgerow opposite the allotments. A good view of its silhouette can be seen from the cemetery. TPO.

27 & 28 Mustons Lane Yew/Sycamore Behind the library, this English yew is important because it could be the only surviving evidence of St Martin’s Church and churchyard which occupied the area behind the High Street and Muston’s Lane. It is multi-stemmed, so impossible to age. Close to it is a large and lovely old 9-trunked sycamore which can be seen from Bell Street and other roads. Situated in the Conservation Area.

29 Park Walk Sycamore These 6 trees are the remains of a fine line of the ten newly fashionable sycamores planted in the 1750s by Robert Dynley to shade the new promenade. They proved to be a good choice of species, standing up to the prevailing south westerlies for 200 years before a violent ice storm damaged them so badly that most had to be felled in the 1950s. Sadly they were not replaced with the same species. They were so popular with Shastonians that they were put on the mayor’s chain of office. They are of the stature to provide much needed shade in summer. "I love their salmon pink and grey flaking bark, covered in places by green-grey lichens”. In the Conservation Area.

30 Park Walk Stoney Path Sweet Chestnut Two, tall sweet chestnuts stand close together on the bank at the west end of Park Walk. The bark of one of the trees is beginning to spiral which is typical of this species. Quite an unusual tree for Shaftesbury. Conservation Area.

31 Park Walk Beech A particularly fine, gigantic, huggable tree at the top of Stoney path, its bole measuring 12 feet 6 inches (380 cms) in diameter. “The bark of the main trunk is quite rough and fissured, but the huge branches above are smooth, but crumply, resembling elephants’ legs. In Conservation Area.

32 Pine Walk Beech and Scots Pine Where the formal walk ends, a narrow path runs through the tall branchless boles of statuesque beeches that catch the winter light and cast long shadows over the path. In summer they provide welcome shade. This is one of Shaftesbury’s gems. Previously known as “The Cliff” Pine Walk was extended from Park Walk in the Victorian era as part of a fashion for all things Scottish. Scots pines predominate at the western end and the smell of resin on a hot summer day is delicious. Viewed from St James and beyond, these trees form “part of the skyline and appear to march down the side of the hill”. Conservation Area.

33 St James’s Churchyard Yew This English yew forms a lovely spreading semi-circular shape, standing on a grassy mound among the gravestones. In Conservation Area.

34 The Park St James’s Street Poplar Balsam poplars and Aspen. Perhaps not the perfect choice of species for this location, but they certainly form an imposing landmark when approached from either direction along St James. “Six tall poplars march along the railing at the top of the wall, and in the wind they make a wonderful rustling sound and in the autumn the fallen leaves smell rich and aromatic”. A tree resembling a Black Italian Poplar that has been heavily pruned in the past, stands by a path a few yards away. Conservation Area.

35 St James’s Park Lime Two tall lime trees - a small-leaved lime and a common lime - remnants of a row of trees that lined the back gardens, now give much needed shade to people sitting at the picnic tables. Conservation Area.

36 St James’s Street Tulip Tree Enormous multi-stemmed tulip tree in the garden of The Chantry, reputedly planted by a forebear of the Rutter family. “This is the biggest and best tree in Shaftesbury rivalling those at Stourhead. The owners notice that the lowest leaves open in about April, and the latest in June at the top of the tree”. In autumn the leaves turn a beautiful yew-gold. Conservation Area.

37 St John’s Hill disused churchyard/Bury Litton Yew The oldest tree in Shaftesbsury is the extraordinary multi-stemmed yew at the corner of the churchyard. Thought to pre-date the Reformation, the St John’s Yew has been declared to be of national significance by a visiting expert from the Ancient Yew Group “because of its unique growth”. “Having looked at thousands of yew I can tell you that I have not seen another like it - it is truly unique” Another fine yew grows on the south-east corner of the churchyard above St John’s Hill. Both trees are protected by TPOs. Large beech trees in the south west corner can be seen for miles.

38 Salisbury Road Monkey Puzzle In the garden next to Chapel Arts Centre. It makes a wonderful silhouette against the skyline and is visible from Pine Walk.

39 Salisbury Road Beech Shaftesbury School Grounds. The last remaining beech from an imposing group now stands alone by the entrance to the Health Centre.

40 Salisbury Road Pines By the Health Centre. A pair of elegant asymmetrical Scots and Maritime (?) Pine trees. “Seen from the osteopath’s plinth they are very calming”.

41 Salisbury Road St Rumbold’s Churchyard Yew This small English yew makes a natural companion to the little chapel.

42 Salisbury Road Beech Two large 60-70 foot high beeches by the road in gardens of The Barn and Blackthorn Cottage. Together with the copper beech at 5 Butt’s Knapp, they appear to form an archway over the road - a superb entrance to the town. Protected by TPO’s.

43 Shooters Lane Sycamore Looking down the steep, narrow path of Shooters Lane, a tall, handsome sycamore stands in the long south-facing garden of 15 Salisbury Street. The tree frames the magnificent view of the Blackmore Vale beyond. In the Conservation Area.

44 Tout Hill Beech & Sycamore On the west side of this sunken lane, which is flanked on either side with high stone walls, there is a magnificent bank of mainly beech and sycamore with ash, some of them fine, mature, 150 year old specimen trees that can be seen from many miles away. In winter the sun sets behind the filigree of beech branches. “They are mentioned by Hardy and have been part of the folk memory of many generations”. Tree Preservation Area Order.

45 Tout Hill. Monkey Puzzle On the east side, a handsome Monkey Puzzle stands tall above the Old Parsonage, and as landmark, with the Blackmore Vale as its backdrop. Fashionable trees in Victorian times, this is one of three still standing in the town. Conservation Area.

46 Tout Hill Copper Beech Looking up Tout Hill, a beautiful spreading beech in the garden behind The Shop can be seen in its full glory. In Conservation Area.

47 & 48. Trinity Churchyard Lime Lime avenues were fashionable in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the Common or European lime was often chosen because it can withstand repeated cutting. These avenues could be 250 years old, important living monuments and worthy of great care. There is evidence that some of the side branches were pleached - woven together to form an interlocking screen. Lime trees were also planted along Lyons Walk, but were removed some years ago because it was mistakenly thought their roots would harm the wall. The pollarded limes along Bimport are younger - post 1850. A spreading English yew grows to the right of the main entrance. “It is much more handsome than the compact, funereal fastigiate Irish yews, much loved by the Victorians, which also grow here”. Protected by Tree Preservation Area Orders.

49 Yeatman’s Close Horse Chestnut A fine, large tree stands in the drive of the Corner House. Recently pruned. In the Conservation Area.

50 Sally Kings Lane. Willow A fine pollarded Crack willow, “originally used as a source of plastics and beanpoles by John Lane, a smallholder who lived here in the early 20th century”. In the Conservation Area.