tree worship

a walk in Felbrigg Hall grounds today produced an ecstacy of tree photos. the beeches there look like the archetypical models of early nineteenth century English and french landscape painting.

their sinuous grey limbs,  their fine and translucent leaves, and their planting by skilled eighteenth century landscape designers produce effects which make photograph composition almost automatic.

certainly each new vista brought the camera out again.

a day of  pretty autumnal sunshine brought out the best in the landscape, with its low light and warm tones.

the trees are are not at their full autumn colour yet, though the ground is scrunchy with fallen leaves.

these massive trees have a mysterious beauty. one completely understands primitive tree worship. looking at trees reduces our heart rate apparently.

this corner of Norfolk is unusual. according to Richard Mabey in his book Beechcombings, “there is a loose string of beechwood fragments, almost certainly native, stretching up through the sands and gravels of  north Norfolk. .. at Felbrigg there is the most northerly stand of native beeches in Britain.”

most of  the trees here are the result of three centuries of planting, using native seed. I have to go back to find the ancient pollard beeches Mabey writes of; “possibly the biggest and oldest beech in Britain …. and a giant coppice stool … the remnants of wood pasture that existed on Felbrigg Heath before the plantings.”

most of the oaks out in the park are past their best, or still young re-plantings. nothing as magnificent as those beech trees.