• Solitary Field Oaks
• Urban Oaks

Many of the housing estates in Horndean were built in the '50s and '60s in wooded areas and have retained many of the grand oaks such as in the Merchistoun Road area. Some were on green spaces and were able to spread their limbs. Some are in gardens and others on roadside pavements. As they grow roots may spread and raise the paving and become a problem and are at risk of being removed but they are very much part of the local scene. These become a maintenance problem, the responsibility of the County engineers and Highways Dept. who regularly inspect our trees, some have inevitably been removed. Apart from the uneven road service some roots engage with the Services (Gas, water and drains).

The Big Risk is that many oaks are on garden plots and owners consider selling part or all of their plot for infill development. Many of these trees have got TPOs on them but there are still a lot 'tucked away'. The worst situation is where trees are removed prior to a planning application being made, and dont appear to be under threat.

A sample of the best of our urban trees are illustrated here, emphasising their value - Imagine the 'Urban Landscape' without them !

Our precious oak trees are divided into three categories:-
(a) Oaks on green spaces within estates.
(b) Oaks by the roadside and
(c) Oaks within garden plots.

Here are some good examples of oaks that were here before the houses and have been retained and given an important position within the new estates. They will be of immense value and give pleasure to many future generations of residents, some will probably outlive the houses !

(1),(2) and (3) The Merchistoun Oak, here seen in winter,summer and autumn and a fine spreading oak estimated to be around 300 years old and given plenty of breathing space. Also on this green is a young oak planted in the 1980s. Like many oaks in the parish, ivy has made rapid growth in recent years and many of the Merchistoun oaks are becoming covered by excessive growth, good for wildlife but may increase wind resistance particularly in winter gales. Ivy growth seems to have speeded up in recent years partly due to climate change.

(4),(5) and (6) There are two other greens on the Merchistoun estate. On the larger green at the Junior Schools end are many fine oaks of different ages sharing the green with a horse chestnut and alder tree. The oldest one is shown here after quite a bit of surgery. Being so near the school entrance, safety management is necessary but all these trees are a great asset to this well planned estate in the days when government policies did not ask for such high housing density.

(7) and (8) At the other end of Merchistoun Road is a slightly smaller green with more fine oaks and here some replacements have been planted for the future.

(9) and (10) There is a small bend in Keydell Avenue to the south of the parish (off the west side of the A3) where there is a small green with fine oaks. In the background can be seen a large protected oak tree which is the tallest oak in Horndean at over 80 feet high. There have been applications to severely reduce this tree, not made by the owner but by neighbors and refused by the council so may it live on - it could be the parish champion.

(11) This fine oak is on a small green area where the Rowland's Castle Road joins Havant Road just south of the village centre. From here you can relax on the seat and admire the large oak in the field on the other side of the road and walking from here towards the village is the largest Holm Oak (evergreen) in Horndean.

(12) Over towards Lovedean more estates have grown up around Yoell's Lane and there is a small green area retained on the corner with Loxwood Road. Here an oak shares the green with an ash and conifers. On the Stonechat road estate there are a few small green areas that have retained oaks particularly between Jay Road and the old footpath No.1. Some 'before' and 'after' pictures will be added to this page at a later date. All these oaks illustrated are part of our living heritage and give residents such a valuable link with past, giving also a sense of stability in such a rapidly changing world. Also they bring wildlife closer to our homes.

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Roadside trees, like all trees in public areas make a very important contribution to the urban landscape but unfortunately suffer from many threats such as vandalism, pollution and their roots area being covered up, yet they still survive. The care of many is in the hands of the Highways Dept or Hampshire County Council Engineers who regularly inspect them.

In Horndean, most of our mature oaks are remnants of the Forest of Bere but a number of younger oaks have been planted, some shown here in this representative selection of roadside oaks.

(1),(2) and (3) Mature oaks along Catherington Lane, the first picture shows our grandest oak in 2001. Unfortunately 6 years later the tree had been covered by ivy and the healthy part at the top has been lopped (pity some of the ivy was not removed), the 'pruning' of roadside oaks is quite a problem ! Hopefully the oak in the third picture will not need the same treatment for some time. Another oak growing near this was removed many years ago and this is where Stag beetles were frequently seen, there are unlikely to be any now although the Lesser Stag Beetle is still around.

(4),(5) and (6) have been planted recently during road 'improvements' to the A3. The tree on the corner with Catherington Lane was planted about 10 years ago when they created the roundabout which was very attractive but was destroyed when the new road layout was constructed. Several branches were cut off the oak and are now healing up. The sixth picture shows some new upright oaks planted in October 2008, it will be interesting to see how well these do.Similar trees were seen growing at Hilliers Arboretum. These upright cultivars are Quercus robur Form a 'fastigiata'. These could be the answer to maintaining roadside oaks where space is so limited.

(7) to (10) are some of the oaks growing through the pavement of Bull' Copse Lane where the houses are built on what was once a small copse about the size of Yoell's Copse and contained a number of woodland oaks which originally grew in a woodland environment where they competed for space until the woods were cleared and survivors are now able to spread their limbs, but also they are spreading their roots. The tree in picture (8) had a good pruning in 2007, this may encourage even more growth or it may be too much all at once as it is under some stress in this position. These trees add much character to the lane and are accompanied by many more oaks within the adjoining gardens some of which can be seen in the next section below. The street trees do not have TPOs on them but many of these in gardens in this area do have TPOs.

(11) and (12) show trees in Keydell Avenue near the parish southern boundary. Oaks planted along this road alternate with pines, probably up to a hundred years old with a very narrow verge to grow in. In 1994 one of the oaks developed fungal growth at the base, local people contacted the coucil who promptly felled the tree, the last picture shows the base with a small ammount of rot developing although it could have continued for many more years.

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In Horndean many houses have been built close to native oak trees which continue to grow and eventually may threaten property resulting in an application for removal or reduction in size. Also extremes in climate means that in wet seasons there is greater growth above ground but in periods of drought the roots tend to grow and spread underground in search of water. Many oaks in Horndean have TPOs, but whether they have protection or not owners should always get expert advice from the Council Tree Officers before any work is carried out as our urban oaks must receive the best treatment available. Costs may be considerable and it is very desirable that local councils should budget and have funds available to give some home owners financial assistance where needed, our oaks are a great asset to the community and their advantages far outweigh their disadvantages.

The Greatest Threat at the moment is the increasing threat of infill housing development, fuelled by government housing targets. People with medium sized gardens are being encouraged to sell their property and in some cases one bungalow can be demolished and replaced with up to eight dwellings, all needing driveways and parking areas leaving little space for trees.

The picture gallery shows a good range of garden oaks across the parish, illustrating many of the problems. Most are in the region of Bulls Copse lane and Merchistoun Road.

(1) and (2) A fine solitary oak with just enough room to spread shown in winter and summer in a garden in Queen's Crescent (off Merchistoun Rd.).

(3),(4) and (5) Large old oak with Barton Cross school in the background, now with a heavy covering of ivy (Bowes-Lyon Ct).

(6) Trees along the Portsmouth Rd (old A3) one oak has had surgery and the other one next door has been allowed to grow on freely. Many of the trees along the A3 form an attractive feature through Horndean, they are mostly in people's front gardens and deserving TLC.

(7) Oak at the top of Catherington Lane by the A3 has some large branches very near the house but is a valuable feature in this position offering shade but this stretch of Catherington Lane suffers pollution from stationary cars waiting at the new traffic lights. The tree has not put out much growth and if allowed will probably outlive the houses nearby.

(8),(9) and (10) Oak trees in gardens on the south side of Bull's Copse Lane, still with autumn leaves and probably descended from original Forest of Bere oaks, not pollarded - they grew close together in a forest environment and so do not have great girth.

(11) Oaks in Woodstock Avenue gardens.

(12) Oak in Catherington Lane bungalow garden with TPO, the owner died and the bungalow is being demolished and the one house is being replaced with 6 houses and hardstanding for cars - no gardens but the retained trees will make all the difference.

(13) and (14) A fine group of tall oaks were being cut down prior to making a building application, one of the first actions of the Horndean Tree Wardens was to call the authorities to stop this felling. There are now houses on this woodland site, residents must surely benefit from having these trees which must have originally been near the centre of Bull's Copse. One of the trees has an owl nesting box and a nearby pond attracts several bats to the area. Once the pond had Great Crested Newts but now only Smooth Newts are seen.

(15) These oaks were being felled early on a Sunday morning. No application to fell had been submitted and it was an upsetting sight to residents in Kingsmead who had these trees at the bottom of their garden. The Bull's Copse oaks have for many years provided a good habitat for Tawny owls, they are still frequently heard calling at night.

(16) This fine oak (with a TPO) is within the back garden area of Victory Avenue, not entirely popular with one resident because 'bits drop off' and make a mess. It is an important part of a small wooded area and part of a wildlife corridor, originally part of a boundary hedge and now in an area of extensive housing development. It is not threatening any buildings or even shading any houses so long may it live.

(17) and (18) This wonderful spreading oak is tucked away in a garden in the centre of Bull's Copse and together with others keeps just a glimmer of the atmosphere of the old wild woods that once existed here.

(19) and (20) shows one of the oaks in Bull's Copse (Oaks Coppice) preparing to be cut down again early on a Sunday morning. It took about 20 minutes to bring the tree down, the tree had taken 200 years to grow to this size. Although sacrificed, the other trees on the site were saved.

(21) As seen in picture (6) many trees line the A3 Portsmouth Road through Horndean. A detailed survey of these was made in 1992 and it can be seen that most of the trees are in front gardens or on the boundary. Tragically many fine oaks have been removed in back gardens, many where house building took priority over trees (some with TPOs) particularly south on the Horndean boundary on the east side of the A3. It is more and more important to save what is left. Without local vigilance more 'tucked away' trees could disappear - to be avoided at all costs.

(22) Another younger oak 'hidden away' on what some might consider waste land, ideal for development ! These oaks are in my own back garden so they are safe whilst I'm still around, we have refused all attractive offers to purchase our plot and so wildlife still has a mini sanctuary. Two young roe-deer were born under these two oak trees some years ago. More pictures of the deer and our wildlife garden can be seen on www.wildlife.vigay.com and click on the 'Wild Garden' icon on the left of the webpage.

(23) A fine oak 'tucked away' in a back garden at the end of Heath Close backing on to the school playing fields. It provides a good background or screen between houses and school. Very few trees lioke this have been recorded but should be in this Tree Register if only as a photographic record, it could easily be threatened in the future.

(24) Finally, this young oak is growing in a garden at the top of Lith Avenue and is within a woodland TPO area (Catherington Lith). It is close to the house and understandably has been of concern to the owners especially during periods of drought when the roots might be heading for the drains or growing under the foundations. This is a problem and needs the expert advice from those that understand the growth of oak trees. Across the country many oaks have been lost needlessly because advisors do not want to take a chance on safety or damage to property. The Horndean oaks all deserve the best management advice available, they are part of our natural heritage and could be the ancient monuments of the future. More and more trees are likely to be growing closer and closer to houses.

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