Ancient Devon Hedges in Dorset

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

Places where these photos were taken

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.

Other relevant pages


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Page first published 27th of January, 2020
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