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Focus on Cornwall
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 Cornwall, Britain’s most
south-western and mildest county, renowned for its beaches and surf,
and for its scenery and history. Attractions abound from castles and
standing stones to country houses and gardens; from the heritage of
its mining past to the 21st century educational greenhouse provided
by the Eden Project.
Unusually for England, this county has its own language. Cornish,
(like Welsh, Irish and Breton), is a Gaelic language. It continued
until the 18th century, when it effectively died out. Renewed
efforts are, however, now being made to revive it, and evidence of
this is easily found.
Cornwall is also unique in its landscape. It’s almost an island
thanks to its coastlines and to the River Tamar, which separates it
from the rest of England. Its towering waves, rugged cliffs and
high, bleak moors were unappealing to the fiercest of invaders in
years gone by, but today they are seen as being amongst its key
attractions. As well as inspiring some wonderful poetry from John
Betjeman, this incredible landscape has been the setting for many a
fine drama, from the tales of Daphne du Maurier to the epic sagas of
Poldark and the murder mysteries of Wycliffe.
North Cornwall provides some fantastic coastline, with granite
cliffs, golden sands, eerie caves and crashing waves, not to mention
its bleak, inland moors. West Cornwall includes Land’s End,
Britain’s furthest point south-west, the Lizard heathlands and a
wealth of mining heritage. Contrasting starkly with these two areas
is the Cornish Riviera, a more peaceful and sheltered area to the
south, which is renowned for its fishing villages with their
pastel-coloured cottages and its lush valley gardens. Walkers tread
the Cornish Coastal Path, running all around the coast from Bude in
the north via Land’s End and the Lost Gardens of Heligan to Plymouth
in the south.
References to King Arthur are widespread, but especially in the
seaside resorts of Tintagel, where it is said he founded Camelot,
and Arthur. King Arthur isn’t the county’s only royal connection
though. The Duchy of Cornwall covers around 52,000 hectares, with a
good part in neighbouring Devon! This commercial estate, with
numerous tenant farmers, also encompasses over 2,000 acres of
woodland, defunct tin mines and a few castles. William the Conqueror
gave Cornwall to a relative, and Edward III then created the Duchy
in the 14th century for the eldest son of the reigning monarch. Two
dozen dukes have followed, the latest being Prince Charles.
Popular places for visitors include the harbour town of Penzance,
with its grand buildings, Maritime Museum and National Lighthouse
Centre; Truro - the county’s main commercial and shopping centre –
with its fine Georgian architecture and Cornwall’s only cathedral
(note the three spires!); the harbour port of Falmouth with its
Prince of Wales Pier, maritime museum and Jacob’s Ladder with its
111 steps; Newquay with its surfing competitions, Waterworld
attraction and zoo; the sea and surf resort of Bude with its castle
and canal-side museum; Tintagel with some splendid stained glass
windows in King Arthur’s great halls; and Bodmin – formerly
Cornwall’s county town – with its monastic heritage, notorious gaol,
steam railway, the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry Museum and the
county’s largest parish church.
So, what about the county’s top locations for ancient trees and
treescapes?
The National Trust owns around 23,000 acres of Cornwall, including
119 miles of coastline, grand country houses, mining sites and
ancient woodland. The following sites are of particular interest.
Lanhydrock (SX0863) is a good place to start. The unusual
name comes from St Hydroc, an Irish missionary who worked in
Cornwall. The original house, an Augustinian Priory, was destroyed
by fire. In its place, there now stands a quite magnificent late
Victorian country house surrounded by a woodland estate, comprising
around 900 acres of woods and parkland. This 17th century deer-park
runs right down to the River Fowey, and as you explore along the
network of paths, remember to keep an eye open for some fine
examples of ancient oak and beech trees. The gardens are worth a
visit too, probably at their best in early summer. Ethy Park
Woods (SX1357) is one of the best locations in the county for
ancient trees, with some 75 oaks still surviving. This was formerly
part pasture woodland, part 18th century deer-park.
Antony (SX4156) is a fine early 18th century mansion set in
some wonderful parkland and fine gardens. Home to the Carew family
for many centuries, the house is an unusual combination of grey
Pentewan stone and mellow brick. Repton landscapes the grounds,
which include a formal garden best known for its National Collection
of Day Lilies. The woodland garden (owned by the Carew Pole Garden
Trust) is renowned for its displays of azaleas, camellias and
magnolias, and be sure not to miss out on some lovely walks in the
woods, which surround the estate. Cotehele (SX4268) is a
riverside estate with a granite and slate-stone medieval house,
formal gardens, a valley garden, medieval dovecote and 18th century
tower. The estate also provides a number of woodland and riverside
walks, highlighting interesting features from both archaeological
and natural conservation viewpoints.
Trelissick Gardens (SW8339) is a fairly new garden set on
numerous levels and located at the head of the Fal Estuary. The
gardens offer quite possibly the best maritime views in Cornwall, as
they overlook Falmouth Harbour, also known as Carrick Roads. The
collection of tender and exotic plants also provides interest, but
the walks in the surrounding parkland and woods are particularly
noteworthy. As well as some fine treescapes, look for ancient oaks
in the parkland.
A second trust, the Woodland Trust, provides several more ancient
woodland locations in Cornwall, which merit a visit. Firstly,
there’s Millook Valley Woods (GR1898), ancient woodland and
common land near Poundstock and Dizzard. This is a registered Site
of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), an Ancient Woodland Site and
an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This extensive area of
broad-leaved woodland consists in fact of no fewer than six woods –
Crannow Combe, Landy Wood, Lundy Wood, Tamps Wood, Trebarfoote Wood
and Trengayor Copse. Look for ancient oaks here, as well as unusual
flora and fauna. Interesting occupants include dormice, otters and
smooth snakes, whilst this is a good place to see buckler ferns
(which smell like hay) and lungwort.
Secondly there’s King’s Wood (SX0049), near London Apprentice
and located on the steep hillside of the Pentewan Valley. This
woodland is registered as being semi-natural ancient woodland and
dates back more than 400 years, though today some areas replanted in
the 1960s with conifers are quite noticeable. Otherwise oak, ash,
sweet chestnut and beech dominate the broad-leaved areas. Bluebells
cover the slopes in spring, and a good variety of butterflies
including the holly blue are common in the summer.
Additionally, there’s Lavethan Wood (SX1072) near Blisland,
which is designated both an AONB and a Planted Ancient Woodland
Site; Milltown and Lantyan Woods (SX1157) near Lostwithiel,
designated an AONB and Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland; and Trenant
Wood (SX2354) near Looe, designated a Special Area of
Conservation and Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland.
There’s a third trust which also deserves your close attention - the
Cornwall Wildlife Trust - as it too owns and manages a number of
very interesting locations.
Pendarves Wood (SW6437) near Camborne is a predominantly
mixed broad-leaved wood, with an area of marsh and a lake. The wood
was planted in the 19th century and is part of the Duchy of
Cornwall. Devichoys Wood (SW7737) near Penryn is a valuable
remnant of ancient woodland. Records show that this wood existed in
1652, although its name has evolved from Kilcoys and then from
Thevichoys. It is most notable for its ancient coppiced sessile oaks
which now take on some weird and wonderful shapes. Old
charcoal-burning platforms are evident here too, and this activity
has been reintroduced in recent years. Also noteworthy at this site
are both the common stinkhorn fungus and the less common dog
stinkhorn fungus, the tip of which is slightly browner. Hawkes
Wood (SW9871) near Polmorla is a small but interesting area of
old oak coppice woodland, which provides shelter to pipistrelle bats
and to a wide variety of birds.
Prideaux Wood (SX0655) near St Blazey is the site of a
disused quarry. Around a quarter of this woodland is of ancient
origin; the remainder being coniferous and planted in the 1960s. The
conifers are gradually being removed, with care being taken not to
disturb the numerous greater horseshoe bat colonies which roost
here. Cabilla and Redrice Woods (SX1265) near Bodmin is
located in the Glyn Valley and is one of the largest ancient
woodlands in the county. This area of woodland dates back at least
400 years; indeed the network of paths has remained largely
unchanged from maps dating back to 1602. Here you’ll find mixed
woodland with ancient oak and hazel coppice, as well as river and
wetland areas. The rare nocturnal blue ground beetle is to be found
here, together with five species of bat and the elusive dormouse.
Armstrong Wood (SX3277) near Trebullett lies alongside the
River Inney and consists of oak woodland and traditional hay
meadows. You may well spot charcoal-burning platforms here too,
which date back to times when oak and hazel coppicing was common,
but keep a sharp look-out for otters in the river and for
silver-washed fritillary butterflies during the summer months.
Dormice inhabit the trees but sadly you will be very, very fortunate
to see one of these most secretive and rare mammals. Luckett &
Greenscombe Woods (SX3972) is another ancient oak coppice
woodland site, comprising broad-leaved woods and heathland, together
with conifer forest. Unusually, some of the site was cultivated as a
market garden in the early 1900s, and the strawberries here are
consequently not of the wild variety!
Finally, here are four other places of interest in Cornwall. The
first is Boconnoe Park (SX1460), a deer-park near Lostwithiel
dating back to the Middle Ages. A number of ancient oak and beech
trees survive here, but access is fairly limited. The property is in
private ownership but the owner does participate in the National
Gardens Scheme. The other three are all managed by English Nature.
In particular, there’s the National Nature Reserve of Golitha
Falls, located on the steep slopes above the River Fowey to the
southern edge of Bodmin Moor. This ancient woodland relic includes a
fine old avenue of beech trees. Additionally, there are two Local
Nature Reserves of interest: Steeple Woods (SW5138) and
Killiminorth Woods (SX2454).
If you know of other ancient trees in Cornwall or if you wish to
suggest a site for inclusion in next month’s article, Focus on
Devon, 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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