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 Hertfordshire in the south-east of England on the edge of London. Whilst a feeling of proximity with the capital city is never far away, there are plenty of idyllic country retreats to take you away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis.

In this county you’ll find historic market towns contrasting with modern developments. Whilst Hertford is obviously the county town, Watford with its vibrant shopping and business centres is actually now the largest place in Hertfordshire. The older, feature-rich towns like St Albans and Hitchin provide a marked contrast with the newer, blander towns like Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City. For history and culture, there’s nowhere better than St Albans, named after Britain’s first Christian martyr. A visit to the cathedral and abbey church is a must, whilst Verulamium - the site of the UK’s third largest Roman city – equally shouldn’t be missed. The Anglo Saxons followed the Romans, and they left us Hertford, a fortress town. The Normans added a castle here too, as well as to Berkhamsted and Bishop’s Stortford. From medieval times Hertfordshire enjoyed popularity as a retreat for royalty and nobility, and in the last century it became the setting for a series of new towns. The Victorian planner Ebenezer Howard was responsible for Letchworth’s garden city development, and following an Act of Parliament in 1946, new “neighbourhood communities” like Stevenage began to spring up.

Despite its new towns and London commuter-belt tag, this is not a built-up urban or suburban county. On the contrary, half of Hertfordshire is designated as Green Belt, and consequently it is a relatively green county. The landscape is varied, combining picturesque valleys and woodland with majestic hills. Wooded lanes criss-cross a countryside of rolling fields and take you through charming, often ancient, villages. To the north-west and to the west you’ll find the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This escarpment comprises some 4,000 acres of countryside, with fabulous commons and ancient woodland. To the east is Lee Valley Park, stretching over 23 miles along the line of the River Lea to the East End of London.

It’s a great county for those who cycle, walk, sail, canoe or just enjoy a boat cruise. The circular Hertfordshire Way covering some 166 miles is particularly noteworthy, whilst a total of some 1,800 miles of paths and bridleways, plus canals and rivers, offer plenty for the energetic.
 
Now, where might you locate some of this county’s finest examples of ancient trees, ancient woodland and stunning treescapes? Well, around 10% of the county is wooded, with a little under 40% of this believed to have ancient origins, so there’s plenty of interest to us.

Let’s begin with three fine historic estates. Firstly, there’s Knebworth House, home to the Lytton family for more than 500 years. It was once a brick Tudor manor house until it underwent a Gothic transformation in the mid 19th century. Its turrets and gargoyles somehow seem fitting for the huge open air rock concerts for which the estate is best known today. Visitors in the 1850s, however, included Charles Dickens, a protégé of Edward Bulwer-Lytton, author of The Last Days of Pompeii. Some years later, Winston Churchill regularly visited and his painting of the Banqueting Hall still hangs there today. Since the 17th century this estate has included gardens, with today’s layout reminiscent of the gardens of Victorian and Edwardian times. The 250 acres of parkland, home to over 100 red and sika deer, include some impressive tree avenues, plus grassland and woodland too. Look for splendid specimens of both native and ornamental trees, including what is reputedly the tallest cut-leaved birch in the country. Most notably, there are more than 500 hornbeam pollards dating back to the 18th century, plus a number of fine sweet chestnut and oak trees.

Secondly, there’s Hatfield House (TL2309), another fine historic property; a Jacobean mansion built by Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury, in 1611. Home to the Cecil family ever since and currently to the 7th Marquess of Salisbury, Hatfield House is best known for its paintings, furniture, tapestries and armour. Surrounding the house is the vast parkland known as Hatfield Great Park, extending over 1,000 acres of what was originally an area of common pasture-woodland. The 15th century Royal Palace of Hatfield stood here once too, home to the young Elizabeth I. Just one surviving wing of the palace remains. As you explore the grounds, be sure to take a stroll along the five miles of way-marked walks through the woodland and parkland, and to visit one of the finest organic gardens in the UK, which dates back to the 15th century and covers some 42 acres. Whilst many of the splendid trees in the gardens were imported, look in the parkland too for some fine ancient oaks.

Thirdly, there’s Panshanger Park (TL2912), another terrific historic setting for trees. This 19th century parkland includes one oak which some believe to be 1,000 years old. As well as the “Panshanger Oak”, look too for other fine examples of ancient and veteran oak trees.

Now, let’s turn our attention to the National Trust’s Ashridge Estate (SP9713). Running across the borders of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire and along the ridge of the Chiltern Hills, this area comprises a series of common-pasture woodlands, chalk downland and commons. Once a medieval deerpark, this estate covers some 5,000 acres. Walkers will enjoy the 16-mile boundary walk or the six shorter self-guided trails. Points of interest include the Monument, built in 1832 in honour of the third Duke of Bridgwater, the pioneer of Britain’s canals, and there’s a visitor centre near here too. A good time to visit the estate is late spring for a dazzling display of bluebells, and you can take in some super views too, if you climb Steps Hill to Ivinghoe Beacon. Look on the estate for a good number of surviving ancient oak and beech trees. Frithsden Beeches is not surprisingly a good area for the latter, whilst Berkhamsted Common and Aldbury Common are good locations for the oaks. The National Trust also manages Hatfield Forest (TL5320) near Takeley which straddles the border with Essex. This medieval royal hunting forest is an excellent example of ancient woodland. Look here for pollarded hornbeams and oaks, as you journey along the numerous walks and trails.

So, where else in Hertfordshire might you find some interesting ancient woodlands and treescapes? Well, the Woodland Trust manages some excellent examples. Firstly, there’s Tring Park (SP9210), owned along with Tring Mansion from the late 17th century by a string of wealthy individuals including members of the Rothschild family. The mansion has become an arts education centre, whilst the estate was split up in the last century, dissected by a bypass and sold off in sections. Fortunately a 300-acre park remains, much as it was when planted and landscaped in the 18th century. For a truly impressive walk, follow the length of the great lime avenue which leads to the far end of the park, and for a truly impressive view, turn around at the end and look back at the way you’ve just come! Interesting features include a number of 18th century monuments, an obelisk known locally as Nell Gwyn’s monument, and a summer house. Look too for a super coppice of copper beeches. The woods are extensive and the upper woodland is quite dense, providing shelter for muntjac deer.

Broxbourne Woods is a designated National Nature Reserve and SSSI, mainly owned by the county council. This area is one of the county’s best examples of sessile oak and hornbeam woodland, and actually comprises four woods, Bencroft, Broxbourne, Hoddesdon Park and Wormley, all of which have ancient origins. It’s thought that this was agricultural land in Roman times, which was then abandoned and subsequently became wooded again. If you’re lucky, as you wander through the Broxbourne woods, you might spot the muntjac deer, which follow a wide circular route each year, and watch out too in the summer for grizzled skipper and white admiral butterflies. The Woodland Trust’s Hoddesdon Park Wood (TL3508) covers some 150 acres and is especially noteworthy for its large oak trees, wood banks and unusual plants (for this county) like bitter vetch, golden saxifrage and cow-wheat. Wormley Wood (TL3105), together with Nut Wood (TL3206), covers some 350 acres. The Roman road known as Ermine Street cuts through these woods, and it’s for this reason that there’s a record of Wormley Wood from the 6th century. In Elizabethan times Lord Burghley (Sir William Cecil) used to own these woods, and for 300 years or so they were managed traditionally for coppice. Locally this wood is known for its birdlife, including hawfinches and redstarts. Look in the wetter areas too for greater and many-headed woodrush and for lemon-scented ferns. Nearby you’ll find Thunderfield Grove (TL3405), where a few crab apple and wild service trees stand amid the hornbeams and oaks.

One final Woodland Trust property of interest is Harrocks Wood (TQ0697) near Rickmansworth. This was part of the Redheath Estate in the mid-18th century and is a collection of woods including Dell Wood and Newlands Spring. Coralroot bittercress can be found in these woods, together with fallow and muntjac deer. Many of this woodland’s mature oak, ash and beech trees are sadly no longer present following a number of heavy thinning operations prior to the Woodland Trust’s ownership. Visit in spring for a good display of bluebells.

Let’s turn our attention next to the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust, which for some time has been carrying out a veteran tree survey with a view to locating and recording as many of Hertfordshire’s veteran trees as it can. Here’s a selection of some of the sites which it manages in the county. Long Deans (TL0704) is a wonderful location, part of Bunkers Park, with some splendid old parkland trees, beech woodland and pasture. The pasture is kept free of herbicides and pesticides, allowing nature to reveal its true beauty. Take time to check out the flora here, with cowslips, creeping buttercup, self-heal, lesser trefoil and burnet saxifrage amongst the most evident. The woodland is semi-natural with beech, ash and wild cherry prevalent. Telegraph Hill (TL1128) is part of an AONB and can be crossed whilst tramping an ancient route called the Icknield Way. Named after the wooden telegraph station built in 1808 to link the Admirality in London with Great Yarmouth, this woodland is the last remaining fragment of Lilley Hoo Common. There are magnificent old beech trees on its fringes and in the woodland to the north of the reserve. Under these you may well find white helleborines, whilst the grassland here is good for plants including rock rose, milkwort and salad burnet, and for butterflies like the chalkhill blue and green hairstreak. Oughton Head (TL1630) is mature alder and willow woodland on the banks of the River Oughton. Not exactly huge, this is however one of the largest fen woodland sites in the county. Keep an eye open for kingfishers along the river. Stocking Springs Wood (TL2015) is typical of the coppiced hornbeam woodlands which once dominated the county’s landscape. The gnarled and twisted shapes of coppiced trees are evident throughout and ancient woodland indicators abound here too, including wood violets and yellow archangel. This wood is still coppiced using a traditional rotation system, such that each tree is coppiced once every 16 years. Visit in spring for wild daffodils and bluebells, and look too for the towering oak standards which are popular with nesting treecreepers, nuthatches and woodpeckers.

Tewin Orchard & Hopkyns Wood (TL2615) are side by side near Tewin. The first is indeed orchard with apple and pear trees, whilst the latter is a shady oak and hornbeam wood, known locally for its bluebells and ramsons. It’s most noteworthy though for an incredible old badger sett, and there’s a wildlife hide which may be visited with prior notice. Pryor’s Wood (TL2626) near Stevenage is old secondary oak woodland with areas of hornbeam and hazel coppice. You’ll find some notable wild cherry specimens here, as well as bluebells and violet helleborines. Look out for fallow and muntjac deer, and for hawfinches too, all of which are rather elusive! Fir & Ponds Woods (TL2701) make up probably the most noteworthy remnant of the ancient Enfield Chase. There are two main areas of woodland, predominantly of oak and hornbeam, plus meadow and wetland habitats. Badger-faced welsh mountain sheep are used in the adjoining ancient meadow to stop the scrub encroaching. At the southern end of the site is a lake, where dragonflies such as the ruddy darter are to be found. Fox Covert (TL3339) near Royston is a designated SSSI, comprising a small area of 19th century beech woodland surrounded by open grassland. Again keep a sharp eye out for the deer which skulk in the woodland here! Balls Wood (TL3410), adjacent to Hertford Heath SSSI, is a mixture of old and new woodland, conifer and braod-leaved trees. There are records of this woodland area from 1790 but before that its origins are unclear. The oldest area today is to the north, with very mature hornbeam coppice clearly visible amongst the ash, field maple and aspen. The rides in the wood are excellent in the summer for spotting the many varieties of butterfly, including the white admiral. Look out too for herb paris and early purple orchids, and the ponds are great for newts.

The privately owned and managed Great Groves Wood, part of Broxbourne Woods, is predominantly oak, ash and hornbeam. There are a number of wild service trees here too. Much of the site is semi-natural ancient woodland but there are newer plantations and an area known as the Woodland Garden, which contains two very tall lime trees and provides a dazzling display of daffodils each spring. This wood is also shown in the records of 1790 and remains more or less the same shape and size today. There are some notable oak and ash standards in the main woodland, and some of the hornbeams here are believed to be more than 400 years old. There’s also evidence of an old bank and ditch system on three sides of the wood. Ancient indicators are again present in the flora including yellow pimpernel, wood sorrel and wood spurge.

Other woods of interest in the county include Howe Grove Wood (TL0608), Wick Wood (TL1608), Sherrardspark Wood (TL2313) and Oxhey Woods (TQ1092), all of which are designated Local Nature Reserves.

Managed by Watford Borough Council, Whippendell Wood (TQ0898) near Watford covers some 160 acres, adjacent to Cassiobury Park. You'll find open areas popular for family picnics and gentle, leafy walks within this mainly deciduous woodland. More than 300 species of moth have been recorded in this wood, and fans of Star Wars will be interested to know that it provided the film setting for the Naboo Forest in The Phantom Menace! Look here in particular for an impressive avenue of limes and for the huge London plane tree which stands on the dividing line between the wood and the park.

Here are two other estates of interest in the county. Brocket Hall has an estate covering 543 acres. The house was built in 1760 on the site of two previous mansions, the first dating back to 1239. Today this is home to a residential conference centre and golf course. Forming part of the Hatfield House Estate, Bush Hall – now a hotel - dates back to the 16th century or earlier. The working flourmill on this estate can trace its origins back to the Domesday Book, whilst Henry VIII used the estate as one of his hunting chases and some time later Beatrix Potter preferred the hall for her summer retreat. The River Lea runs through the 120 acres of parkland gardens. Both estates contain some impressive tree specimens.

A number of municipal and country parks in the county are worthy of consideration too. Aldenham Country Park comprises 175 acres of woodland, parkland and open water; Cassiobury Park near Watford is a large area of parkland and woodland with features dating back to the 16th century; Cedars Park contains the remnants of Theobalds Palace, as well as gardens, an arboretum and woodland areas; Cheshunt Country Park includes wildlife conservation areas, woodland and a lake; and Hartham Common provides five designated walks in its woodland which is known locally as the Warren.

The grounds at Queenswood School, near Hatfield, are only open to the public over Spring Bank Holiday, but they are well worth a visit if you can time your trip. Two Methodist ministers founded this girls’ school in 1894 in Clapham Park but thirty years later it moved here. There are 120 acres of gardens and woodland within this 420-acre estate, which is located 420 feet above sea level and is the highest point in the south of the county. Look here for mature oaks and beech trees, and be sure to look across to the neighbouring Tudor Great Woods.

Here’s a selection of a few other gardens which you might wish to include in your itinerary. Moat Farm House near Much Hadham for its ancient mulberry tree; Odsey Park near Baldock and Royston for its wonderful yew walks; the Grade 1 formal woodland garden at the childhood home of late Queen Mother, St Paul’s Walden Bury near Hitchin, for its magnificent tree avenues; and West Lodge Park near Potters Bar which includes the 10-acre Beale Arboretum with more than 700 species of trees and shrubs, including national collections of Elaeagnus and hornbeams.

Before leaving the county, if you’ve time for a little reading, check out the work being done by the Herts Woodland Forum, which monitors the implementation of the county’s woodland strategy. Its publications have included A Guide to Hertfordshire’s Working Woodlands.

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!