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Where have all the beautiful trees gone?
• I WAS sad to see the listing Lebanon Cedar tree in Holly Lodge Gardens felled, it was a beautiful and ancient tree that graced the garden and brought pleasure to all.
In the waiting room of the Dentists’ surgery in Highgate Village there is a 19th-century map of the Burdett-Coutts estate, before the Holly was constructed and on it you’ll see reference to the Cedar Glade.
It is a shame that Camden council could not have been a bit more imaginative in the tree’s preservation and no doubt arrived at their health and safety decision in an attempt to save money from a rarer-than-a-lightening-strike litigation case.
I was lucky enough to visit Avignon in France last summer and was amazed at the volume of full size plain trees planted in the city, right up against buildings and roadside, really beautiful and completely shaming our stunted and pollarded municipal trees.
Well, one down one to go and a big empty space.
IAN MARTIN
Holly Lodge Gardens
Oakeshott Ave, N6
• IN NOTING Mr Young’s observations (Sad tree tale, letters Jan, 11) it reminded me of my writing to you a few years back, regarding the very poor and utterly neglected condition of the (15?) newly planted young maturing Hornbeam trees by the stables on the south side of Chalk Farm Road, NW1.
You may also note that all of them have now gone, and correct me if I am wrong, but that also includes the trees planted much more recently on the north side of the same stretch of road, leaving just large square areas of a sandy grit soil…a bit like large cat litters, probably to be crudely asphalted over and abandoned.
We recently had a council questionnaire asking for our opinion regarding the visual (expensive) upgrading of the Chalk Farm Road area, which would naturally include the planting of more trees.
I suspect my comments would be unprintable, not least since the council seem incapable of looking after what it already has.
ALLAN MARSHALL
Ferdinand Street, NW1 |
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