In January 2026 a rather ad hoc message was received from CMS regarding a new Lime Walk In Pishiobury Park. A quick visit revealed some red topped canes in the ground and orange crosses marked on the grassland. The following day we were alerted to the fact that they were getting the planting site ready. Being curious I had a follow up visit the next day and was quite frankly appalled at the level of damage that had been done. It looks like something like a flail mower had been used and several Bramble thickets had been completely eradicated exposing live rabbit warrens where it would appear that absolutely no consideration had been given to the fact that the burrows almost certainly had rabbits in residence and it should be a local nature reserve!
It would appear that the 1766 Drury and Andrews map of Hertfordshire had been used as a reference but this is hand drawn and not accurate. Up until the present time the park has vaunted as a Capability Brown Park and it is well known fact that he disliked formality in the landscape and yet here we are planting a new formal avenue! A close look at the map will show three avenues in 1766 and it is assumed probably erroneously that the northernmost one is what is being tried to replicate.
CMS came Tuesday 13th January and the holes had already been dug for 40 new lime trees. Initially, no rabbit guards had been provided but that has now been done on the advice of one of the Friends. Glendale are supposed to be coming back to install wooden enclosures before the cattle come in May. Shown below are a series of photograph taken this afternoon 20th January from West to East as a record of the planting. It is hoped if the vegetation is allowed to grow up particularly in the ditch area then maybe the rabbits will return.
There is evidence that there never was an avenue of trees here is provided by the next slide which shows the remains an oak tree which was felled in 1939 as part of the Timber Requisition for World War Two. At one time the park was littered with these pollard heads but they have steadily been burnt up especially during the time when 200 Elm trees went out of the park in the early 1970s due to Dutch Elm disease. A ring count on a similar one at that time gave a planting date of 1722 and there is every reason to believe that the the one in the slide would have been of similar age and proportions. There is therefore good evidence that there would have been an oak tree standing in the middle of what of what they think was an avenue of lime trees in the 18th century. Why don't people use their Oliver Rackham Eyes!
Poor rabbits, let's hope they can return because due to myxomatosis and hemorrhagic disease, they are now largely abs from the surrounding countryside but we are fortunate in having a thriving colony in the park where they are doing no damage at all but are part of the biodiversity and food chain as well as an opportunity to educate people.
Below you can see where they have dug a hole in the Big Dig 2011 - 13 site where we excavated with all the proper permissions on the site of the old cattle sheds and we had to get a derogation to do it because of damaging the grassland!
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