Leconfield Estate plant trees to celebrate Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

The completion of the planting of Circle Hills Clump in Stag Park near Petworth on the Leconfield Estate took place by Lord and Lady Egremont to celebrate what is officially known as the ‘Queen’s Green Canopy.’

The estate’s head forester, Neil Humphris assisted by two of his team, Brian Carver and Adam Chandler were ably supported on the day by members of the Sylvia Beaufoy Youth Centre in Petworth led by Dan Sneller and Karen Chessman.

Jack Ralf, Harry Ralf, Austin Collins and Lloyd Dallyn pupils at the Midhurst Rother College and members of the Sylvia Beaufoy Youth Centre helped stake and put guards round the newly planted trees.

Due to the very early spring, most of the planting had already been carried out by the forestry team of the estate comprising Brian Carver, David Carver, Adam Chandler, Graham West and Andy Wall.

The commemorative clump for the Platinum Jubilee was planted on the east side of an existing hedge on the crest of the hill facing the main footpath which runs through Stag Park.

A wildlife corridor was also planted on the other side of the hedge to join up two existing woodlands and to provide food for over wintering birds.

Mr Humphris said that it was “really important to leave space within the farmed landscape for wildlife.”

The planting was a mixture of oak, chestnut, crab apple, cherry and various different shrubs and the whole enclosed with a native hedge.

One of the trees that was planted was a sweet chestnut sapling, the seed of which had come from an historic tree clump near Hougoumont in Belgium, the site of a famous resistance during the Battle of Waterloo during which one of Lord Egremont’s ancestors was actively involved in shutting the gates of Hougoumont Farm to keep the French soldiers from over-running the farm, a pivotal turning point in the battle.

The Battle of Waterloo was fought in 1815. The French army led by Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies one of which was a British-led coalition under the command of the Duke of Wellington. The battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and ended Napoleon’s rule as Emperor of the French.

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