Leigh Woods, Bristol.

[sean]

Bordering Ashton Court in Bristol is Leigh Woods...with its mix of lapsed pollards, old coppice stools and at its northern edge the dramatic drop into the Avon Gorge it gets a big thumbs up from me.

 

A personal favorite of mine is the big old Yew pollard. Have only visited a couple of times since i moved to Bristol but it has already made its mark on me.

 

Until the end of the nineteenth century the southern part of Leigh Woods was included within the Ashton Court Estate and

managed as grazed wood pasture. Paintings and watercolours from the early eighteenth century depicting pollards in wood

pasture in Leigh Woods and at the head of Nightingale Valley (Greenacre, 1973, Greenacre & Stoddard, 1986) offer a testimony

to the constancy of a landscape which had barely altered since medieval times.

In the twentieth century aerial photographs document the felling of a large area of Leigh Woods during the Second World War

and the later grubbing-out of a large part of Oak Wood in the 1950s. Although little of this felled area had previously been wood

pasture, much of Repton’s designed landscape with its veteran trees was engulfed by the subsequent replantings with non-native

tree species (Lovatt, 1989).

 

In 1992.93 197 veteran oaks (lapsed pollards) were surveyed and tagged and restoration work commenced.

 

I am currently making enquiries with a view to researching the management programmes in place and to hopefully document the success/failure rates.

 

Anyway heres some photos to begin building a picture of this fine landscape.

[RobArb]

You need to invite me down there mate:biggrin:

[sean]

You need to invite me down there mate:biggrin:

 

 

You just invited yourself Rob.....and you very welcome.....I know a very reasonable b and b......Just a fine malt whiskey gets :001_smile:a bed and food.

[slack ma girdle]

Cool photos. I have not been there for nearly 20 years, and it is still beautiful.

[Martyn Amos]

pic 3 awesome-sun though web:thumbup:

[sean]

cheers guys.

[Pete Hart]

Love going to leigh woods whenever im back visiting my old stomping grounds!!

Its a great place to go and get lost for a day

[MJPollitt]

Not been in Bristol long but love walking through leigh woods. Thanks for the history! something to think about when next travelling through. Many thanks

[sean]

A beautiful yew pollard in Leigh woods......still going strong.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I will be bringing a fine malt to you very soon I hope Sean!