Towards the end of the English Civil War the Cavaliers (Royalists) had their encampment just outside the town of Newark (Nottinghamshire) and were collecting timber from the surrounding woodlands to fortify the camp.
Clipstone Deer Park, Sherwood Forest, which was once part of King John's Deer Park in the 12th century and then part of the Earl of Newcastle's estate was ideally situated not only for the supply of timber for the encampment but a ready supply of fresh meat for the troops.
At the end of the war and after the restoration of the monarchy in the form of Charles II it was now safe for the Earl of Newcastle to inspect his estates. On his return to Clipstone he set out plans to restock the Deer Park and re-plant the woodland.
Some 350 years later, in 2007, one of the trees that we believe formed part of the replanting plan and that was situated at the edge of the deer leap blew down in gale force winds that swept up the centre of the country.
Here, in words and pictures, we tell how that tree was removed from the woodland and milled to be used for furniture in the Forest2Furniture collection.
The Tree:
Planted at the beginning of the Restoration period (c1660).
The noise as it hit the ground in the storm of January 2007 would have been deafening. Yet, when we first saw it it lay silent and still, waiting for the next part of its life to begin.
Standing this tree would have been over 100 foot high, the main
trunk height from the ground to the start of the lower branches was 24
foot and with a diameter of 43 inches.
Given the angle of the tree before falling, which can be seen in the picture below, it's no wonder the tree's roots gave way.
