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A Bit of News
During the night of Friday 21st March, a very large mature chestnut tree – a major local landscape feature next to footpath 11 – blew down. This tree had lost some limbs three years ago, but still appeared to be healthy. Its further collapse was caused by a strong northerly wind. This tree is on Boundary Riding Stables land, although the field fencing was attached to the back of the tree at some point in the past. The field south of the footpath is owned by Mr John Shepherd of Poplar Farm. When it collapsed, the main part of the tree fell across footpath 11, blocking the footpath, knocking down a section of field fencing and extending into the field. The only damage caused was to the field fence. On the Saturday morning, I found a party of cyclists at the field gate opposite the junction of Boundary Road, who had crossed the field to by-pass the tree. Members of the party expressed regret (before being aware of being overheard) at not having a pair of wire cutters to deal with the fencing, and I sent them on their way. With a combination of voluntary manpower, use of a Riding Stable chain saw and Mr Shepherd’s work on the fencing, the tree was cleared off the footpath over the Easter weekend. All parties involved cooperated enthusiastically. It is always a sad thing when a big tree comes down, and this tree has been a monumental feature of the local landscape for as long as can be remembered, a canopy of leaf for cattle and horses in the summer, a stopping point for walkers and a compass mark on a direct north-south line from its position to the junction of Station/Boundary Roads to the south. Up until the 1960s, there was an increasingly decrepit sign attached to it, saying 'Beware of the Bull'. As a child, I once glimpsed the creature in all its leisurely bulk, now the misty impression of a formidable presence; more latterly, only horses used the chestnut, for shade and for shelter. The chestnut was blown down at Easter, a time of death and re-birth, and was cleared from the path and field during the Easter weekend. Hopefully, the field owners will encourage a new sapling to take its place, so that our rural landscape continues to be marked in future by the beauty and character of great trees. Jon Willmore