The Town Mayor is shovelling soil into a freshly dug hole which now contains a small oak tree

Coronation Tree Planted

To mark the coronation of HM King Charles III, the Town Mayor planted a commemorative oak tree on the Heath in advance of the coronation barn dance. This continued a tradition dating back to the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.

Town Council volunteer researchers Jenny and Mary recently uncovered old documents, Knutsford Guardian reports, and a map giving details of four oak trees which had been planted to commemorate the coronation of our last four monarchs, they began looking back at previous celebrations and sought the help of Friends of The Heath in identifying the exact whereabouts of the trees.  Jenny and Mary also spoke to the Town Council about the possibility of continuing the tradition of planting an oak tree for King Charles III on coronation day, 6th May.

The Town Council was keen not to break the tradition and in the week leading up to the coronation set about making swift preparations. Representatives from Knutsford Heritage Centre and Friends of The Heath, together with Mr Henry Brooks of Tatton Estates, and members of the public, watched as Town Mayor Cllr Mike Houghton performed the ceremony and dedicated the tree to the new King.

In 1902 an oak was planted by the drinking fountain in honour of Edward VII, the commemorative plaque for this tree was replaced by the council in 2022.

The 1911 tree was planted in the centre of the heath for the coronation of King George V, unfortunately it is there no longer and was likely removed c1944 when General Patton’s US troops camped on the heath.

Iron railings near the bowling club boundary wall circle a dead stump which was the tree planted in 1937 for King George VI. And Friends of the Heath have recently found a healthy oak tree in iron railings a short way across from Warren Avenue which was the tree planted in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth II.

The 2023 tree for HM King Charles III is adjacent to Tabley Road and a commemorative plaque will be installed shortly.

A group of people including the mayor gather around a tree that is being planted

Mayor plants tree for Platinum Jubilee

The 70th anniversary of the accession of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was marked in Knutsford on Sunday 5th February with the Town Mayor and councillors planting a commemorative tree at the Council Offices.

Town Mayor Cllr Stewart Gardiner was joined by councillors and residents at a small ceremony on the day marking 70 years since HM The Queen took the throne. This marked the first act ahead of the official celebrations in June.

The council chose a Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’ tree to celebrate the occasion. The tree will blossom with clear pale primrose yellow, fragrant cup-shaped flowers between April and May each year – covering the period of HM The Queen’s birthday.

The national celebrations of the jubilee take place over a four-day bank holiday weekend from 2nd to 5th June. The Town Council is organising a beacon lighting as part of beacon lighting across the nation on Thursday 2nd June whilst Knutsford Lions will be hosting a Jubilee Fair on the Heath on Friday 3rd June.

The 2012 Diamond Jubilee saw a specially commissioned arch installed at the Library Gardens and for the Platinum Jubilee the council is discussing holding a competition for children to design a new piece of public art. The Town Mayor will also be offering to plant a jubilee tree at each school in Knutsford ahead of the half term break.

Group of volunteers at the tree planting

600 trees breathe new life into Dogwood

Over 600 trees were planted by volunteers on Saturday 29th January as part of Knutsford Town Council’s Nature Action Plan.

With support from The Tatton Group, the Town Council organised a planting day beginning at the entrance to Dogwood which leads from the Moor to Tatton Park. The new trees will bolster the existing mature trees and eventually replace those that are lost naturally. 

Adopted in March 2020, the Nature Action Plan sets out the council’s commitment to improve Knutsford’s biodiversity and natural habitats and supports the council’s efforts to tackle climate change. Planting trees across the town is a key aspect of the plan, which not only increase the biodiversity value of local areas but capture carbon from the atmosphere.

The whips (very young saplings), which were provided by the Woodland Trust and The Conservation Volunteers, were planted by a team which included volunteers, students from Knutsford Academy and town councillors. Within a few hours hundreds of trees had been planted which will eventually grow into larger specimens and will capture tonnes of carbon through their lives.

Bob Allen, The Planning and Facilities Officer at Knutsford Town Council, said: “It was excellent to see support from the community and everyone that came made huge efforts to endure the wind and the rain to make a positive difference to the town for years to come. Trees are an important source of oxygen for us all and we want to encourage tree planting wherever possible!”

The Town Council is now preparing its second phase of standard (1.5m-2m) tree planting on open spaces across the town.

To find out more about tree planting or the Nature Action Plan you can visit www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/natureactionplan

Volunteers surveying a tree

Milestone in Tree Mapping Project

A milestone has been reached by volunteers working to promote trees in Knutsford as part of the Town Council’s Nature Action Plan as they complete a census of all trees on public land.

The volunteers, led by Malcolm Thomas and Kevin Griffiths seek to raise awareness across the town and to encourage tree maintenance and planting. They believe that trees give our neighbourhood life, colour and beauty, clean our air, protect us from extreme weather and provide habitats for wildlife.

With support from the Town Council, the volunteers are carrying out a census of mature trees. So far, they have tagged, recorded and mapped 940 street trees. Whilst they had previously estimated from aerial images that there were 8000 such trees in Knutsford their work has established that most trees in Knutsford are on privately owned land, including schools, sports clubs, businesses and house gardens.

Currently, the group is extending the census to community woods, including College Wood, St John’s Wood and The Heath, in collaboration with Friends groups and local residents.

To complete the census, the group is appealing to the local community for help, asking community groups and businesses to share information about trees on their land. Volunteers are available to help landowners undertake the tree census and provide guidance on the project. The group are also welcoming new volunteers to assist with the project.

If you are able to support the project as a volunteer or by providing information / access for trees to be surveyed you can contact the group via the Town Council’s Planning and Facilities Officer, Bob Allen bob.allen@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk.

A young tree on a large green in summer

Tree Planting Consultation

Knutsford Town Council wants to hear from residents on its plans to plant almost 7,000 trees across the town as part of its Nature Action Plan. The town council is consulting on its Tree Planting Plan which aims to deliver over half of its target of seeing 13,000 trees planted in Knutsford to tackle climate change and improve biodiversity and wildlife.

The proposals include planting over 250 1.5m to 2.4m specimen trees on verges and open spaces with a further 6,600 whips planted to create large new areas of woodland in suitable areas – including an extension to St John’s Wood.

The plan also sets out proposals to four fences around open spaces with hedges and identifies a number of verges where additional wildlife friendly planting could be supported.

“We adopted our Nature Action Plan in March this year as part of our commitment to make Knutsford a greener and more wildlife friendly town. Our planting plan is a key part of this and will drastically increase the number of trees in the town” said Town Clerk, Adam Keppel-Green

“We see it as a win-win, the town will look more beautiful, CO2 will be absorbed from the air and locked away and in time wildlife will flourish.”

The council’s Nature Action Plan working group has identified areas where additional planting will not affect the existing use of open spaces and has chosen a range of native and ornamental trees suitable for each location.

“We would like residents to view our proposals and let us know what they think of the areas we plant and what we plan to plan. We’ll review all feedback received and finalise a planting plan in early 2021 with the intention to complete all planting over the next three years”.

To view the tree planting plan and submit your feedback visit www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/consultations. The consultation runs to 18th December.