Elms in Warwickshire were a common sight before the 1970s. Indeed, the English elm hedgerow trees were termed the Warwickshire Weed. Tall and distinctive trees, the timber was often used as a substitute for oak, and was used for among other things chairs and coffins. Dutch elm disease almost entirely wiped elms off the Warwickshire map in the 1970s, and savagely changed the landscape in places.
What is reassuring is that some 40 years later, other trees such as ash have taken the elms’ place. Leafy Warwickshire may have gained its name in part thanks to the elms, but its name can still be justified, even if there are present-day threats such as ash dieback!
It is however reassuring to see that in the modern age, the county of Warwickshire still maintains its greenery.
Comments
The Old Elm Tree in Tysoe was reputedly large enough to hold meetings in! See this book for photos.
Those elm trees create two vivid memories in my life time, as a child in the 1940s I lived in Chapel Street, Long Lawford and across the road stood half a dozen huge elm trees in which was a rookery, we kids used to climb those tree to get to the birds nest, I think back now and wonder how we ever suvived. The second memory is from the 1950s we were laying an hedge for a farmer in Lawford Heath Lane, also Long Lawford, and we were told to leave a suitable piece every 25 yards or so to grow into a tree for the future, I often drive past that stretch of hedge now, there is just one ash tree the rest we left were sadly elm.
Was just speaking to a chap about the loss of elms in Warwick. Apparently they blocked some of the views you now get of St Mary’s church, and when they started buying their first house the end of the garden had a line of elms for the boundary. By the time they’d completed, they were gone!
A swift change in landscape.
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