The Ancient, royal and historic
First stop is The Hardy Tree. This is a beautiful ash tree with a fascinating story that links to the author Thomas Hardy at a time when he was conducting delicate work on the graveyards of London. Other trees include the survivors of the fire, the wonderfully old and twisted American Indian bean trees that grace the lawns around the Palace of Westminster. These are older than the Palace having survived the great conflagration of 1834 which almost completely destroyed the home of British democracy. The next stop will be an impressive giant of a tree especially within an urban setting. This is possibly the oldest and largest London Plane tree alive in the world today and he is called Barny!
Then it is on to the ancient oaks of Richmond Park – trees planted at a time when large oaks were needed for ocean going vessels and for the construction of the great houses and palaces. Many of the trees are over 600 years old and one is more than 1000 years old. Learn about the Royal Oak and also the connection to The Chelsea Pensioners who celebrated Oak Apple Day each May. The tour can also include The Royal Gardens at Kew for whom, Edward has written several books and has conducted many tours. See the Lion Tree Ginkgo, the oldest and largest ginkgo tree in Britain as well as some of the most incredible trees that are found in the many acres at Kew.
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