The Great Trees Of London Map

M@
By M@ Last edited 48 months ago
The Great Trees Of London Map
The black mulberry of Lesnes Abbey, Abbey Wood

A new map will guide you toward the capital's most impressive trees.

London has a tree that may be older than the city. The Totteridge yew could be 2,000 years old. It was a sapling when the Romans arrived, and it lives still.

Why don't more people know about this incredible survivor? A new map by Paul Wood (@TheStreetTree) should bring it some new friends.

Western half of the map

The Great Trees of London map pulls together Paul's selection of 46 arboreal wonders. It folds out to A2 size, with a guide to each tree on the reverse.

Some of the highlights are relatively famous, like the Hardy Tree in St Pancras churchyard (below) or Richmond's 750-year-old Royal Oak. Others will be new to all but the most dogged tree spotter. Who knew that a housing estate in Borough conceals a Norfolk Island pine, which "shouldn't be able to survive outdoors in London"?

The Hardy Tree

Get out and meet 'Barney', the oldest plane tree in London. Track down Herne Hill's remarkable row of Japanese cherries. Make the trek to Abbey Wood to see the sideways-sprawling black mulberry. And have you ever noticed this flaring canary palm at the western end of Lambeth Bridge?

Canary Palm on Millbank

This simple but inspiring map will have you rooting to explore London's under-appreciated green heritage.

Great Trees of London Map by Paul Wood is published by Blue Crow Media. It's out now for £8 to buy direct, and also available in Stanfords, Daunt, the Hayward Gallery, Tate Modern and others. Naturally, it's printed on recycled paper. All images by Paul Wood.

Last Updated 12 March 2020

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