Ancient Trees..........

This ancient oak at Cadley, on the A346, not only rivals the nearby Big Belly Oak in age but with a waistline of 11m 57cm actually boasts a bigger belly...


So what is it about old and ancient trees?. To me they seem to have a life of their own, well, they do. we know they are living but are they also feeling? The ancient Celts believed they had a spirit. When in the presence of an old tree, even if not this ancient, it has an aura about it.
These Spanish Chestnuts maybe not ancient but well over 400 to 500 years old


This ancient Yew was said to have sheltered King John as he signed the Magna Carter, at Runnymeade in 1215. Imagin sitting up in those branches and witnessing those proceedings



Can you just imagine what these trees have seen in their long lives? There are not really too many living things that have such a long life. Have you ever run your hands over the bark of a large tree? Felt the life inside it? OK so I have a vivid imagination but really, place your arms around a tree and feel the spirit there. I can't describe what I mean. You either feel it or do not know what I mean. It's not something I could convince you of. In any case I suppose my whole point is this, never cut down a tree without a good reason. In fact never kill any living thing without good reason.
The Celts saw wisdom in ancient trees and I don't think they were far wrong,







In the small Dorset village of Tolpuddle there is a sycamore tree on a patch of green, just a short stroll from a local pub. It is here that a group of agricultural labourers met to discuss demands for better pay, in effect creating the first trade union. Already more than 150 years old then this gnarled old tree was a key player in thier story. They gathered there labourers under that tree in the 1830s. It's still going strong today with a lot of help.


King Charles hid in an Oak tree while on the run from Cromwell following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. I am sure Charles was not the only one to have their life saved by a tree. Think about it...............Britain was full of woodlands and forests all over Great Britain in the early days. When William came and took the throne a lot of it was set aside for his own personal use depriving many citizens of a livelihood.
If you have any interest in this subject a good place to begin is with
"The Woodland Trust"



"It is not so much for its beauty
that the forest makes a claim
upon men's hearts, as for that
subtle something, that quality of
air that emanates from old trees,
that so wonderfully changes and
renews a weary spirit.
- Robert Louis Stevenson