The Chestnut Tree at Carters Pond

The Chestnut Tree on Carters Pond

Many of you will have noticed that the chestnut tree with the seat around it opposite the museum has been felled for safety reasons. So I thought it may be of interest to retell the story of its planting. In the museum we have a copy of a newspaper cutting with a picture from the Herts Pictorial published at the time.

In 1931 the 1st Ashwell Guides ceremonially planted a red chestnut tree on the ground at the junction of Swan Street and Mill Street known as the ‘Pond’. The occasion was to commemorate the 21st Anniversary of the founding of the Girl Guide movement or as they put it their ‘coming-of-age’. The County Commissioner, Mrs Wolverley Fordham of Ashwell Bury, put the first spadeful of earth round the tree followed by each of the Guides. The Hon Mrs Serocold, the District Commissioner from Baldock, is at the left of the picture. Mrs Bessie Wallace and Mrs Daphne Smythe were among the girls present. Does anybody know any of the others?

The tree was felled in March 2013.

A Hornbeam was replanted on 12th April 2013. The original seat was replaced around the new tree. The seat was made in 1977 by Murray Noyes of Partridge Hall, Ashwell.