Somerville tree planting 2On Wednesday 29th November, Principal Jan Royall put the finishing touches to the planting of a copper beech tree in the grounds of the College.

Head Gardener Robert Washington, who comes from Forest Hill, has been at the College for thirty-four years, after starting his working life as… a forestry contractor! He and his colleague David Townsend positioned the copper beech tree ahead of this week’s freezing weather.

Jan, a proud native of the Forest Dean, said that the College had decided to plant the tree in National Tree Week (25 November – 3 December 2017) to mark the 800th anniversary of the Charter of the Forest and as a celebration of the publication of The Long, Long Life of Trees by Professor Fiona Stafford, Fellow and Tutor in English at Somerville. The Long, Long Life of Trees draws on material from folklore, natural science, literature, cultural history, European art, ancient mythology and modern medicine to illuminate the place of trees in western civilisation. It has been described by the Sunday Times as ‘A fascinating, impeccably written look at man’s millena-long relationship with trees’.

Further reading?

Three Somervillians Shortlisted in Vice-Chancellor’s Awards 2024

Learn More
25 March 2024
Three Somervillians Shortlisted in Vice-Chancellor’s Awards 2024

Professor Stafford’s new book explores the untold stories of British landscape

Learn More
19 March 2024
Professor Stafford’s new book explores the untold stories of British landscape

Memories of the Dorothy Hodgkin Memorial Lecture with Professor Irene Tracey

Learn More
15 March 2024
Memories of the Dorothy Hodgkin Memorial Lecture with Professor Irene Tracey