A historic “lost avenue” of trees dating back to the eighteenth century and measuring half a kilometre has been recreated at Dyrham Park in South Gloucestershire, cared for by the National Trust, in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Forty-three lime trees have been planted by National Trust rangers and volunteers to restore the footprint of the historic avenue, rediscovered on maps by staff in 2019, after the original trees succumbed to diseases and storms in the past century.
The project is one of 70 Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) initiatives being completed by the conservation charity across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in honour of the 70-year reign of the late Queen as well as her Platinum Jubilee which took place last year.
Dyrham’s “lost avenue” was first discovered on a historic map dating back to 1766, after which its location in the northern pastures was confirmed through cross-referenced light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scans taken at the property in 2019.
Ahead of the restoration, only one of the original trees remained, as the historic avenue had suffered decimating losses following bouts of Dutch elm disease and Ash dieback, as well as the great storm of 1987.
The remaining tree, a veteran ash located in the deer sanctuary, has now been used as a guiding figure in the planting of the new avenue, which will once more stretch from Old Lodge, located in the middle of the park, to the Cotswold Way which follows the northern boundary of the parkland.
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Posted On: 20/01/2023