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Each month we turn our focus upon a different county, highlighting
some key ancient tree sites and identifying some other places of
general interest for tree-lovers. Other than Woodland Trust
properties, admission or parking charges apply for many sites, and
as access may be prohibited or limited to certain dates or times,
it’s always advisable to check with the site owner or with the local
Tourist Information Office before making a visit.
This month we turn our attention to Wiltshire in southern
England, home to world heritage sites, ancient ridgeway walks,
historic towns and charming villages, magnificent gardens,
river-meadows and canals. This is a county which has more than just
a hint of a bygone age. There’s an air of mystery and mysticism too,
and not just at the prehistoric sites of monolithic Stonehenge,
Avebury, the Sanctuary and the West Kennet Long Barrow. There’s also
the imposing sight of white horses dominating many of the chalk
downs, not to mention the more modern phenomenon of unexplained crop
circles!
Salisbury is one of the Wiltshire’s best known destinations. Its
wonderful cathedral, with 400-foot spire and grassy close, stands at
the centre, whilst the ancient hill-fort of Old Sarum lies at its
edge. Other popular towns include the picturesque Saxon settlement
of Bradford upon Avon, Wilton with its remarkably ornate church,
Devizes with its medieval town trail and the impressive Marlborough.
Many of Wiltshire’s villages are quite delightful too, with village
greens and thatched roofs aplenty. The National Trust village of
Lacock turns the clock back to 17th and 18th century England, whilst
the Vale of Pewsey, the Nadder Valley and the Woodford Valley - with
its line of idyllic riverside villages - are amongst those areas
that are well worth a visit.
Often favoured by Constable in his paintings, the landscape here is
a rich blend of rolling hills and panoramic plains with chalk
down-land, broad valleys and water meadows. Rivers and canals,
estates and gardens, and ancient woodland and parkland enhance the
splendour of this countryside still further. Much of the county is
designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, due in part to the
unrivalled variety of flora and fauna to be found in its chalk
grassland.
So, where might you go in this splendid county to find some ancient
trees or ancient woodland sites?
Longleat (ST8143) near Warminster may instantly make you
think of wildlife safaris and theme parks but don’t disregard this
oasis of natural beauty. The house, seat of the Marquess of Bath, is
set in more than 900 acres of Capability Brown landscaped parkland,
with a further 8,000 acres of woodlands, lakes and farmland. Look
out for some fine oak pollards here in particular.
The renowned 18th century landscaper Capability Brown was also
responsible for the flowing mix of woodlands, lawns and lakes at
Bowood House (ST9770) near Calne, and this is another good
location to entertain younger members of the family, whilst enjoying
some fabulous treescapes.
Probably the largest collection of ancient trees in Wiltshire is to
be found in the Savernake Forest (SU2266) between Marlborough
and Hungerford. This woodland covers some 4,500 acres and is
certainly more than 1,000 years old, having been mentioned in a
royal Saxon charter in 934AD. Whilst the Earl of Cardigan and the
other estate trustees own the forest – in fact it’s the only
privately owned forest in Britain - the Forestry Commission manages
much of it. Extensive areas are open to the public on a permissive
basis. Here, some 2,600 ancient oaks and 2,400 ancient beeches
remain, together with more than a hundred ancient sweet chestnut
trees. The splendid avenues of tall 200 year-old beech trees provide
a wonderful sight, especially in autumn. In spring, hundreds of
bluebells carpet parts of the forest floor. As well as being in a
designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, most of Savernake
Forest is a registered SSSI - a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Though this high scientific status is primarily due to its rare
lichens and fungi, this site is also a haven for a variety of
wildlife including all of our species of deer and some less common
birds such as Hawfinches, Nightjars, Crossbills and Nightingales.
Wiltshire provides one of England’s most precious horticultural gems
– Stourhead (ST7834) at Stourton near Warminster. Owned by
the National Trust, this magnificent garden was created by Henry
Hoare between 1741 and 1780. The Palladian mansion was built in the
1720s and was home to the Hoare family, owners of Britain’s only
independent private bank. The mature woodland is quite magnificent,
including several ancient sweet chestnuts and an extensive
collection of exotic trees. Much of the estate woodland and
down-land is managed for nature conservation, and two Iron Age
hill-forts, Whitesheet Hill and Park Hill Camp, provide additional
historical interest.
The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust looks after some fine examples of
ancient woodland. Near Devizes you’ll find Peppercombe Wood
(SU0357), standing by a picturesque stream. Situated on the edge of
Swindon lies a fine bluebell wood, Hagbourne Copse (SU1082),
which was originally part of the Lydiard Park Estate and a source of
local timber for over 400 years. At the foot of a steep chalk
down-land slope near Salisbury stands some impressive beech woodland
known as The Devenish Reserve (SU1234). In a wood providing
spectacular views over the Woodford Valley, the ancient beech trees
here are slowly dying, but support some rare beetles. Records show
that Clouts Wood (SU1380) near Wroughton has existed for over
1,000 years. Once dominated by Wych Elm, today it comprises mainly
ash and oak and is another great place to see bluebells in the
spring. Green Lane Wood (ST8857) dates back to Domesday times
and exhibits many indicators of ancient woodland including Solomon’s
Seal and the Greater Butterfly Orchid. Close the Dorset border, near
Shaftesbury, you’ll find the wooded slopes of Oyster’s Coppice
(ST8925) with wild daffodils growing amongst the oak, ash and alder.
Lastly, but by no means least, there’s the ancient oak woodland of
Vincient’s Wood (ST8973) near Chippenham, where early purple
orchids may be found amongst the varied flora and fauna.
A black poplar pollard can be seen at Tanners Wood (ST0337),
one of a number of ancient woodland sites owned by the Woodland
Trust. There are three woods near Westbury, Clanger Wood, Picket
Wood and Round Wood (ST8754), covering around 133 acres
and dating back to the Domesday Book. They are well-known locally
for their butterfly populations, with almost 40 different species
recorded there. This ancient semi-natural woodland is listed in the
Nature Conservancy Council Inventory of Ancient Woodland, and the
same applies to almost 120 acres at Colerne Park and Monks
Wood (ST8372), located at Colerne near Chippenham. This woodland
is also designated as being part of both a Site of Specific
Scientific Interest (SSSI) and an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty. Wild pear can be found here, and near the woods to the
north-west there are three mounds of historical interest - Bronze
Age round barrows – together with the popular Fosse Way.
Other items of interest to lovers of ancient trees include the
alders at Spye Park (ST9567), the oaks at Flisteridge Wood
(ST9991) and at Donhead Hall Park (ST9023), and the beeches
at Groveley Wood (SU0534). Over a hundred specimens are to be
found at Whiteparish Common (SU2522) and as well as oaks,
examples of both field maple and ash are located at Tollard Green
(ST9316).
If you know of other ancient trees in Wiltshire or if you wish to
suggest a site for inclusion in next month’s article, Focus on
Derbyshire, we’d love to hear from you! Please email us, providing as
much information as possible and preferably including an Ordnance
Survey map reference.
We’re also very keen to build up a library of photographs of ancient trees
and ancient tree sites. Can you help? If you’re willing to share your
treescapes and tree portraits, please
email them
to us, remembering to provide location details for each photo, with an
Ordnance Survey map reference if possible. We’d love to include them in a
future article! |
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