Bookham’s Green Spaces

Frances Fancourt

The July issue of the RHS magazine “The Garden” discusses the importance of plants and climate change. Every green leaf, big and small, takes carbon out of the atmosphere. This becomes locked underground, aiding the fight against climate change. Particularly good are hedges containing multiple plant varieties. They provide dense leaf cover, wildlife habitats, can provide year-round flowers and berries, and require minimal pruning. Instead of a bland wooden fence or a monoculture of conifer or laurel which require regular maintenance, consider a mix of shrub types around your property boundaries and make a positive contribution to the environment.

We are currently looking at improving the central shopping areas which involves both weed and branch clearance and some planting in conjunction with Mole Valley District Council. We also have a maintenance work list for trees around Bookham’s verges, cutting back growth along the Dorking Road footpath, dead tree removal in Park Way and The Lorne, and improving sight lines on the Lower Road approach to Howard of Effingham School. Dead or over-long branches will be pruned at various locations, and scruffy growth removed. There is never enough money to do everything, but we believe that we have made a difference over the past few years, operating with funds from Councillor Clare Curran’s Surrey County Council budget, and a small amount from the BRA when necessary. This also covers replanting.

We plan to plant trees in The Garstons, Pine Dean, Sole Farm Road, Crabtree Lane, Howard Road and Richmond Way this winter.

In July this year our founder Tree Warden, Lawrence Hole, died after a short illness. His legacy is the 100+ trees visible around our verges. If you would like to help us continue planting and caring for trees around Bookham, please call us to discuss what is involved. You could become a full Tree Warden or just help us with occasional tree planting and care.

---

Update – June 2017. There are now 113 trees planted by Bookham Tree Wardens and the Bookham Residents’ Association. Details are listed below

Tree Number:	Location:	Tree type:
1	The Dawnay School	Pin Oak
2	Polesden Lacey School	Pin Oak
3	Eastwick Junior School	Pin Oak
4	Barn Hall Field	Sweet Chestnut
5	Kennel Lane, Fetcham	Maple
6	Kennel Lane, Fetcham	Maple
7	Kennel Lane, Fetcham	Maple
8	Lower Road, 248	Red Maple
9	Lower Road, corner The Garstons	Maple
10	Chrystie Recreation Ground	Scots Pine
11	Chrystie Recreation Ground	Scots Pine
12	Chrystie Recreation Ground	Scots Pine
13	A246 near Fairfield Close	Maple
14	A246 Allen Road section	Oak
15	A246 Allen Road section	Copper beech
16	Crabtree Lane	Flowering Japanese crab apple
17	Crabtree Lane	Flowering Japanese crab apple
18	Crabtree Lane	Flowering Japanese crab apple
19	Crabtree Lane	Flowering Japanese crab apple
20	Polesden Lacey School replacement tree	Oak
21	Downsway	Red Maple
22	Downsway	Sorbus
23	Blackthorne Road	Scarlet Hawthorn
24	Blackthorne Road	Red leaf prunus
25	Halepit Road	Silver birch
26	Halepit Road	Whitebeam
27	Howard Road	Red hawthorn
28	Howard Road	Whitebeam
29	Hilltop Rise	Amelanchier
30	Hilltop Rise	Scarlet Hawthorn
31	Hilltop Rise	Sorbus
32	Dawnay Road	Prunus padus waterii
33	Dawnay Road	Prunus padus waterii
34	Dawnay Road	Pink hawthorn
35	Barn Hall field replacement tree	Oak
36	A246 Allen Road section replacement	Oak
37	A246 Allen Road section replacement	Copper beech
38	Kennel Lane, Fetcham	Maple
39	Lower Road near Eastwick Park Ave	Maple
40	The Garstons	Winter flowering cherry
41	The Garstons	Winter flowering cherry
42	The Garstons	Winter flowering cherry
43	The Garstons	Winter flowering cherry
44	The Garstons	Winter flowering cherry
45	The Garstons	Winter flowering cherry
46	The Garstons replacement tree	Winter flowering cherry
47	Crabtree Lane replacement tree	Flowering crab apple
48	Mead Crescent	Amelanchier
49	SCC field off Barn Hall field/Mead Cres.	Amelanchier
50	Mead Crescent	Flowering crab apple
51	248 Lower Road replacement tree	Red maple
52	4 Barn Meadow Lane	Pink flowering cherry
53	6 Barn Meadow Lane	Pink flowering cherry
54	8 Barn Meadow Lane	Pink flowering cherry
55	62a Barn Meadow Lane	Purple leaf prunus
56	Tudor Close	White bark birch
57	Sheridans Road	White flowering cherry
58	Sheridans Road	White flowering cherry
59	24 Durleston Park Avenue	Sorbus
60	29 Durleston Park Avenue	Sorbus
61	Durleston Park Avenue	Sorbus
62	Eastwick Drive near Meadowside	White Hawthorn
63	Hawkwood Rise	Weeping copper beech
64	Hilltop Rise	Purple leaf plum
65	25 Eastwick Park Avenue	Winter flowering cherry
66	26 Eastwick Park Avenue	Winter flowering cherry
67	Eastwick Park Avenue	Mongolian lime
68	Richmond Way	White bark birch
69	Richmond Way	White bark birch
70	Richmond Way	Maple variety
71	Richmond Way	Maple variety
72	Richmond Way	Maple variety
73	Richmond Way	Maple variety
74	Richmond Way	Maple variety
75	Richmond Way	Maple variety
76	Richmond Way	Maple variety
77	Richmond Way	Maple variety
78	Richmond Way	Maple variety
79	Harecroft	Maple variety
80	Harecroft	Maple variety
81	Harecroft	Sorbus
82	Allen Road	Flowering cherry
83	Allen Road	Flowering cherry
84	Allen Road	Flowering cherry
85	Allen Road	Flowering cherry
86	Vicarage Close	Sorbus
87	Lower Road	Oriental hawthorn
88	Lower Road	Oriental hawthorn
89	Lower Road	Oriental hawthorn
90	Lower Road	Oriental hawthorn
91	Lower Road	Oriental hawthorn
92	Lower Shott	Winter flowering cherry
93	Beales Road	Winter flowering cherry
94	Beales Road	Prunus
95	Beales Road	Hawthorn
96	Eastwick Park Avenue field	Silver birch
97	A246 Allen Road section	Sweet chestnut
98	Barn Meadow Lane green	Sorbus
99	Barn Meadow Lane green	Strawberry Tree
100	Barn Meadow Lane green	Prunus
101	SCC field off The Garstons	Oak (quercus robur)
102	SCC field off The Garstons	Weeping pear (Pyrus pendula)
103	SCC field off The Garstons	Liquidamber syraciflua
104 - 107	The Garstons	4 x flowering cherries: Prunus horinjii, Prunus Pink Parasol
108	The Garstons	Silver birch (Betula alba pendula)
109	The Garstons	Oriental hawthorn (craetagus orientalis)
110	The Garstons	Prunus Royal Burgundy
111	The Garstons	White bark birch (Betula Jacquemontii)
112 - 113	Vicarage Close	2 x Oriental hawthorn (craetagus orientalis)
114	Gilmais	Silver Birch (Betula alb. Red Panda)
115	Gilmais	Sorbus
116	Hilltop Rise	Prunus Royal Burgundy
117	A246 Allan Road section:	Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica)

---

Saturday morning February 13th 2016 saw the planting of the 100th tree on the initiative of the Bookham Residents Association in Bookham