Story of Chesham Park’s famous Elm Tree Avenue

History

Before 1803, there was a large house in Chesham Park called Bury Hill House, which was similar to Hartwell House near Aylesbury. It is not certain which year, but in the early 1700s, maybe about 1715, one of its owners planted a grand avenue of elm trees either side of its driveway.

The line of trees was 250 yards long and went across the lower park towards the parish church. The avenue of tall elm trees can be clearly seen in pictures dated 1770.

Bury Hill House with the avenue of elm trees, from an engraving dated 1770. (Image: Archive)

Replanted 1845

In 1836 a hurricane happened on Christmas Eve, which uprooted some of the largest trees, and many of the others were loosened and deemed unsafe for the public. In 1845, William Lowndes ordered that the remainder of the elm trees be felled, and they were replaced by eighty new young elm trees, spaced six feet apart.

The trees grew to become a much-loved feature of Chesham and often appeared on local postcards. Their branches met overhead to form a shaded canopy. According to one newspaper report from 1916 the avenue “was said to be one of the finest in England” - only the elm avenue at Windsor was considered finer.

The Golden Avenue

In November 1905 the local newspaper published a poem by “A.C.” about the elm trees called “The Golden Avenue”:

“The tall strong elms rise up above,

And leaves like prayers join bands of love;

In spring they dressed in living green,

In summer veiled the blue between.

These trees like vast cathedral aisle

Grow up each side a massive pile,

Like pillars in the House of God

Whose walls for centuries have stood;

But in the autumn watch the view,

Each leaf is tinged with yellow hue,

Like some alhambra court arrayed

With all its golden roof displayed;

A glorious colour lights the leaves

When loving sunshine to them cleaves!

Yet have their beauty no sad sight

For ‘calm decay’ brings death and night

Leaves pave a carpet for our feet,

Which once nigh kiss’d God’s mercy seat,

Till all must fade and leave all bale

Their stems bereft teach needs of prayer.”

Losses

At the end of August 1892, four of the large elms, “were blown down”. According to the local newspaper the crash could be “heard for some distance” and fortunately no-one was injured. In January 1927, six of the trees with dangerous hanging branches came to the attention of the council, and then they decided to lop them all. In June 1945, a diseased tree near the parish church was felled.

Chesham Park after the elm trees were felled, 1951. (Image: Archive)

Felling the trees 1950

In October 1949, the Bucks County Forestry Officer submitted a report about the trees to Chesham Urban District Council. He wrote: “I discovered that a considerable number of trees bear visible defects… and render them liable to break during high wind. Having regard to the fact that the avenue is regularly traversed by the public, and that the District Council bears a great responsibility in ensuring public safety”, he said that he felt obliged to recommend that they remove the diseased trees, and the remaining trees be lopped.

He suggested that they be gradually replaced by maple or lime, and purple beech trees. At the end of February 1950, Chesham UDC decided instead to remove all the trees on safety grounds and replant them. On March 6, 1950, the council invited tenders to fell and remove 75 elm trees from the park. In July 1950, all the trees were removed.

After they were felled the contractors, Messrs. T. T. Boughton and Sons, filed a report which stated: “We are able to report that the trunks of the trees were sound with three or four exceptions: one at the Church End was at least dying and dangerous, and another at the Bandstand and another at the Chartridge Lane end were becoming unsafe. The main limbs of all the trees had decayed for two to three feet down from the point of lopping, and this constituted a danger in rough weather, as any of the new growth was liable to blow off with a portion of the rotten limb. The one tree at the Church End no doubt had Dutch Elm disease in a fairly advanced stage… and it is conceivable that the disease might have spread to the whole avenue in a short time.”

New trees

The original council plan was to replant the avenue with mixed maple trees and dedicate “the trees to the youth of the town”, followed by a formal ceremony. However, once the trees were removed, the park was more open, and there were great views across the town, and long shadows no longer cast themselves across the children’s play areas

Many people, including some who had opposed the felling, now came to prefer the park without the avenue. Instead of replanting the elms the council decided to plant nine maple and lime trees, away from the areas where children play, and plant flower beds along the line of the former tree avenue.

The idea of replanting

In 1962, Chesham Council discussed planting a new avenue of elm trees. It never happened. In any case by 1975, Dutch elm disease had killed most of the elm trees in Buckinghamshire. In 1990, the question came up again, with the idea to plant 50 elm trees.

At that meeting an emotional Councillor Dr Arnold Baines welcomed the idea. He said, “The loss of that avenue of trees nearly broke my heart”.

However, those without the nostalgic memory of the avenue, said that they did not want to lose the open views across the park. Reflecting on the lost vote, Dr Baines said: “Few things in my life have hurt me more than the wanton destruction of that glorious avenue”.