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Introducing Fetcham's Notable Trees
‘A tree is a passage between earth and sky’
Fetcham has many beautiful and interesting trees, some of which are hundreds of years old. The map below shows where you will find the ones that we have selected to tell you about so far. We will be adding more trees to the trail and welcome your help in telling us about your favourites. As you walk around the village notice how they change over the seasons and follow the bud burst, flowers, seeds, autumn colours and winter outlines. We are building a history of the trees in public spaces in the village, if you have any local knowledge, memories or photos showing the trees, or even trees that used to be there, we would love to hear from you. email: fetchamtreetrail@gmail.com
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Following the Trail
The trees on the map can be discovered when you are out walking. The specimen trees are numbered in catalogue order, not their location within the trail, that will expand as more trees are added.
We have designed two suggested walking trails; Loop 1 covers trees to the north of Cobham road and includes Fetcham Splash; and Loop 2 covers south of Cobham road.
A printable map of the two walking trails can be downloaded from <HERE> . You can also pick up the printed map from a box outside the Kit Shop (Cobham road) during shop hours, and from the end of the drive at 8 The Drive, Fetcham, KT22 9EN
All of the Trees on the Trail are situated on public land with the exception of a few trees at Fetcham springs adjacent to the footpath. We don’t intend to include trees in residents’ gardens.
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(01) English Oak
At just 175 years, this Oak is still quite young. The oldest in the UK are 800 – 1000 years old.
(01a) English Oak
This tree is on the edge of land that belonged to Fetcham Cottage built 270 years ago and may have been planted as a boundary tree.
(02) Wild Service
This tree was planted, but when found in the wild it is an indicator of ancient woodland.
(03) Ash-Leaf Maple (Box Elder)
A native of North-East America and is often planted as a street tree.
(07) Sweet Gum
These trees were planted under a FRA scheme several years ago. Look out for the lovely autumn colours.
(09) London Plane
Its distinctive green-brown bark peels off in flakes allowing it to shed pollution, making it an ideal street tree.
(10) Apple
Nearly all Surrey farms used to grow apples to make cider for their workers, but few local orchards remain.
(11) Sycamore
The winged seeds, or “helicopters”, are almost parallel to each other and spin as they fall from the tree.
(12) Rowan
It was planted beside houses as a protection against witches. Lookout for flocks of waxwings enjoying the berries during cold snaps in winter.
(14) Grey Poplar
Grey poplars are a hybrid between White Poplar and Aspen and grow impressively large.
(15a) Hawthorn
Ancient hedges, usually containing hawthorn as a stock barrier, are often the oldest man-made thing in use.
(16) Lime
There are lots of limes in the churchyard. “Linde” is the Anglo-Saxon name for lime which is preserved in many place names such as Lyndhurt and Linwood, both in the New Forest.
(17) Silver Birch
Silver birch provides food and habitat for more than 300 insect species – the leaves attracting aphids which provide food for ladybirds and other species further up the food chain.
(18) Common Yew
Often found in churchyards, sometimes dating from the pre-Christian era when they were associated with pagan places of worship.
(23) Ash
Ash leaves are some of the latest to open in the spring and the earliest to fall in the autumn, often while they are still green.
(23a) Ash
In the past Ash trees were coppiced – by cutting them down to the base they produce multiple stems that were used as hop poles.
(25) Hazel
Nuts were an important source of protein until the 20th century and in Surrey, September 14th was traditionally the day for the harvest.
(26) Alder
During the winter Common Alder seeds are a favourite food for visiting and resident Siskins and Lesser Redpolls.
This printable map of the two walking trails, can be downloaded from <HERE>