I’m very excited to have been commissioned to write a book about the great urban trees of Britain and Ireland. Research is underway and, hopefully, I’ll be travelling all over these islands to see as many of its great trees as I can over the coming months.
A few months ago, I heard the strange tale of an oak tree in Ealing which marks the spot where an elephant is buried. I realised I had to find out more, so off to Ealing I went...
On Saturday, I made my second foray into live video presentations with the virtual launch of the Great Trees of London Map, recently published by Blue Crow Media.
Marooned in the midst of a Victorian industrial landscape in an unlikely corner of Dover - the famous, unassuming town where I grew up - is an ancient European Yew tree (Taxus baccata). It lies in the valley of the river Dour (pronounced 'doer') from which the town takes its name. This name has a... Continue Reading →
A couple of weekends ago I was staying in Dorset where I heard about Wyndham’s Oak, an ancient tree I felt compelled to seek out. It is a pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur) and it is ancient, maybe 1000 years old. It is a shrinking hulk in an unlikely setting but it is a local landmark... Continue Reading →
