TREES IN LAKE MEADOWS
Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron gigantum) Map Ref 13
Native to the west coast of America especially in Sierra Nevada and California. It is considered one of the biggest and longest living things on earth. They can live up to 3.500 years: the ones in Lake Meadows are mere babies being about 8o years old. The timber is of very little use as it easily breaks. It does have a thick, soft fibrous bark which, because it contains no resins, gives protection from forest fires. There is a marvellous specimen located by the football pavilion displaying the typical shape with its large trunk tapering quite quickly. The other example, at the eastern end of the golf course, shows the thiskness of the fibrous bark and the nature of the wood beneath.
Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) Map Ref 14
Native to the Himalayas, China and Japan although introduced to Britain from the Balkans in the fifteen hundreds. The name is derived from horse-shoe markings on the twigs which are leaf scars. Trees grow up to 32m with a spread of 15m. They have large glossy dark green leaves consisting of 5 or 7 narrow oval leaflets that are bronze when young and orange or yellow in the autumn. The “candles” are large panicles of long-lasting, double, yellow or red marked white flowers from mid to late spring. The timber is of little use because it is very light and weak, although its lightness and ease with which it could be worked meant that it was used for making artificial limbs. The hard shiny nuts have been a delight for children of all ages and the horse chestnut has provided a basis for the game of conkers since the 18th century replacing other objects such as snail shells and hazelnuts. There are many examples in the Park, the one marked on the map is by the path leading from the entrance at Hillside Drive.