Tallest tree in UK declared
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Related articles
Measuring a tree the same height as eight double decker buses is no easy task but not one the National Trust has shied away from.
The organisation has declared a Norway Maple at Prior Park Landscape Garden in Bath the national champion tree after being measured at 36 metres (118 feet).
This makes the Maple the tallest in the UK by a clear six metres.
The previous champion tree, growing at Glamis Castle in Angus, Scotland, is 30 metres tall.
Matthew Ward, National Trust head gardener for Bath, said: "For years I've looked at this tree and thought it was unusually big but when we finally measured it ourselves we realised it was one of the tallest in the country."
The tree is in a sheltered part of the park growing among other trees on a bank making the process of confirming its height all the more tricky.
The measuring was done by a team from the Tree Register who climbed the Maple and used a combination of poles and tape measures to find the exact height.
"It hasn't been planted up as a specialist arboretum and because, in the past it had been left alone, there are a lot of self seeded trees creating quite a natural feel to the woodland," Mr Ward said.
"We are in a hollow close to the city and it is a sheltered pleasant spot which the trees certainly seem to like.
"As well as this superb Norway Maple we have a number of yew trees which grow particularly well."
The National Trust is maintaining Prior Park in the spirit of Ralph Allen, the 18th century entrepreneur who created it, as his vision of blending a garden with the natural landscape.
In addition to the work at Prior Park, the Trust is carrying out a three year survey to reveal the full extent and condition of the estimated 500 tree avenues in its care.
The project began last year to help prioritise funding and bring together the stories associated with them.
PA
From the blogs
Review of Glee ‘Sweet Dreams’
The episode begins with Finn (Cory Monteith) at college, partying and accidentally participating in ...
Barking Blondes: When to vaccinate
Dr Ron Schultz, professor and chair of pathological sciences at The University of Wisconsin, joined ...
Doctor Who ‘The Name of the Doctor’ – Series 7, episode 13
What a wonderful way to end this momentous series in the 50th year of Doctor Who. From the start of ...
UKIP Surges to Record High
The UK Independence Party is on 19 per cent, the highest share recorded by any pollster, in a ComRes...
- 1 Heading for America? Prepare for the longest US immigration queues ever
- 2 Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?
- 3 You thought Ryanair's attendants had it bad? Wait 'til you hear about their pilots
- 4 'Swivel-gate': David Cameron goes to war with the press over 'swivel-eyed loons' slur
- 5 It’s official: thanks to Stephen Hawking's Israel boycott, anti-Semitism is no more
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Visit York
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
iJobs General
Senior Employment Solicitor - Birmingham
Excellent Package: Austen Lloyd: This is a senior appointment with huge potent...
Teaching Programme Officer with Qualified Teacher Status
£28000 - £31500 per annum + benefits: Randstad Education Newcastle: Permanent ...
SAP FI-CA Consultant - up to £58k
£50000 - £58000 per annum + Benefits and Bonus: Progressive Recruitment: SAP F...
PHP/ Drupal Developer - £35k - WC
£30000 - £40000 per annum + BENS: Progressive Recruitment: Drupal Developer A ...
The price of pacifism
Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond
Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?
Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing
Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'
Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes
Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save


Comments