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Richard John Torrens |
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| Dorset holiday | Electronics & DIY | Family History | Hi-Fi History | Misc | Natural History | Wild Food | Walks | |||
| Aquatic life | Various Botanical photos | Various Fungus photos | Ponds and water life | |||||||
In west Dorset, Devon and east Cornwall there are features to be found that consist of one or two lines of very old beech trees which are often gnarled and misshapen. These trees stand atop an earth bank, which often has eroded leaving the beech trees standing on exposed roots. Usually beside the bank is a depression which was once clearly a ditch. The features are most often found in woods, but can also be found on roadsides and in other places.
These features are clearly disused and weathered field boundaries and in fact they are the remains of very old Devon Hedges which have eroded over time, leaving mature beech trees. Being old, they very often have a very active community of fungi.
There are some spectacular old Devon Hedges in a corner (Harry Hill Plantation) of Trinity Hill Wood: there is a map showing where the photos numbered 1 to 6 were taken - the link opens in a new window.
Harry Hill Plantation is shown on Streetmap.co.uk map of Trinity Hill (opens in a new window).
Here are a few photos of these Ancient Devon Hedges
| Lambert's Castle | SY366988 | |
| Coney's Castle | SY373977 | |
| Wootton Hill Wood | SY355969 | |
| Trinity Hill wood | SY304952 | several old hedges are hidden in the wood to the south of the car park and on the roadside, |
| Dunkeswell | ST143077 | On private land |
Devon hedges are still used and maintained, see the list below.
Document URI: http://nathist.torrens.org/dh/index.html