Oh No - Not That Old Chestnut!
Windermere said good-bye to a much-loved, aged resident recently, when the painful decision to axe a landmark tree in the heart of Windermere was taken.
The tree, a magnificent horse chestnut on the corner of Broad Street and Ellerthwaite Square, was suffering from a number of diseases that were slowly killing it. Careful monitoring of the tree resulted in maintenance work earlier this year, intended to extend the tree's life for as long as possible. Unfortunately this work revealed a large rotten cavity that made the tree potentially dangerous in high winds. It had shed some large branches in a recent storm, and the prospect of further falls meant it was just too dangerous to ignore.
Many locals and visitors stopped to watch the chop when it came, expertly undertaken by Ambleside Tree Services, and it prompted reminiscences by many older residents, who remembered going "bonkers for its conkers" in their youth. While some initially threatened to chain themselves to this grand-daddy of a tree to save it, in the end most accepted that every living thing has to go sometime.
The good news is that South Lakeland District Council has a two-for-one replacement policy, so in time there'll be two new trees planted, ensuring conkers for generations to come.
Paul Holdsworth, Towns Centre Manager for Windermere, Bowness Ambleside and Grasmere, SLDT