A collection of trees and hedges planted in the design of a full size medieval cathedral.
Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is a 9.5 acre (38,000 m²) garden near the town of
Dunstable
in Bedfordshire, England. It is planted in the approximate form of a
cathedral, with grass avenues for nave, chancel, transepts, chapels and
cloisters and “walls” of different species of trees.The Tree Cathedral
was planted by a Mr EK Blyth as an act of “Faith, hope and
reconciliation” in response to his memories of World War I. As a cadet
at Sandhurst in 1916 Blyth had made two close friends called Arthur
Bailey and John Bennett who were both dead within eighteen months. In
1930 he paid a visit to Liverpool Cathedral, which was then under
construction. Blyth wrote “As we drove south through the Cotswold hills
on our way home… I saw the evening sun light up a coppice of trees on
the side of a hill. It occurred to me then that here was something more
beautiful still and the idea formed of building a cathedral with trees.”
Work began in 1932 and continued in stages. The site became overgrown
during World War II, but development recommenced after the end of the
war. The first religious service at the site was held in 1953, and
services continue to this day.In 1960 the Tree Cathedral was accepted as
a gift by the
National Trust. The independent
Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Fund is responsible for the religious use of
the site. Services have been conducted by many different denominations
. [Picture taken by Tony Jones on 10th September 2005]
A collection of trees and hedges planted in the design of a full size medieval cathedral. Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is a 9.5 acre (38,000 m²) garden near the town of Dunstable
in Bedfordshire, England. It is planted in the approximate form of a
cathedral, with grass avenues for nave, chancel, transepts, chapels and
cloisters and “walls” of different species of trees.The Tree Cathedral
was planted by a Mr EK Blyth as an act of “Faith, hope and
reconciliation” in response to his memories of World War I. As a cadet
at Sandhurst in 1916 Blyth had made two close friends called Arthur
Bailey and John Bennett who were both dead within eighteen months. In
1930 he paid a visit to Liverpool Cathedral, which was then under
construction. Blyth wrote “As we drove south through the Cotswold hills
on our way home… I saw the evening sun light up a coppice of trees on
the side of a hill. It occurred to me then that here was something more
beautiful still and the idea formed of building a cathedral with trees.”
Work began in 1932 and continued in stages. The site became overgrown
during World War II, but development recommenced after the end of the
war. The first religious service at the site was held in 1953, and
services continue to this day.In 1960 the Tree Cathedral was accepted as
a gift by the National Trust. The independent
Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Fund is responsible for the religious use of
the site. Services have been conducted by many different denominations. [Picture taken by Tony Jones on 10th September 2005]
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