Spotted This Hidden Ring Of Plane Trees In Green Park?

M@
By M@ Last edited 18 months ago
Spotted This Hidden Ring Of Plane Trees In Green Park?
Ring of plane trees

Green Park is often dismissed as the 'boring' Royal Park. The verdant triangle between Piccadilly and Buckingham Palace lacks the flowerbeds and lakes of its larger neighbours. It's a place to pass through, rather than linger.

Of course, there's more to discover if only you look. A case in point is this ring of mighty plane trees. I must have walked past dozens of times without noticing the leafy torus. But once you spot it, it's really, really obvious. And it's right next to the main path near Spencer House, between the tube station and the Palace.

Ring of plane trees
View of the trees from Google Maps

The 13 trees that make up the ring are all sturdy, mature specimens that must have been growing here for a century or more. That number, and the pagan associations of tree rings, have led to some peculiar theories over the years. Were they planted to symbolise the 13 Celtic months of the year? Perhaps they are an Outlander-style portal to another time or place. Probably not, though when I examined the trunks in autumn, I did find that someone had marked the trees with clock faces.

Clock on a plane tree

Author Chris Street has further linked the circle to what he describes as a "geometric pattern of sacred sites and energy centres". Another theory suggests that the trees mark the site of the Temple of Concord, a much-admired though short-lived structure that stood in the park during the early 19th century. It was of similar size and location to the trees, though it was probably cleared away decades before they arrived.

The Temple of Concord in 1814. Image courtesy of The Watercolour World

I suspect the truth is more prosaic. The plane trees were probably planted in a circle on a groundsman's whim, or simply because a circle of trunks makes an eye-catching feature. According to the Royal Parks website, a bandstand stood within the ring from 1913 to 1980, though it's unclear whether this feature or the ring of trees came first.

Plane trees in a circle
Looking up at the plane tree canopy

However it came into being, be sure to seek out the circle of trees next time you're in the park — a natural wonder hiding in plain (or plane) sight.

With thanks to Victor Keegan for the tip-off.

Last Updated 13 September 2022