‘Hawthorn’ Ashton Court Estate, Bristol

Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyne)

The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon ‘hagathorn’ and refers to its use as a stock-proof  hedge plant (the Old English ‘haga’ meaning hedge). It is estimated that 200,000 miles of hedges were planted during the Parliamentary Enclosures from 1750 to 1850 and the major component of these was the Hawthorn. It is said that during a famine in 1752 the poor colliers in the Bristol area were reduced to eating haws (hawthorn berries) and the leaves to stay alive, hence the old country name of ‘Bread and Cheese’ tree. Also known as May-tree it bursts into flower in May heralding the change from spring to summer, when its musky-scented creamy white blossom lights up our fields and lanes. Hawthorn supports more than 300 insects and is the food plant of many moth caterpillars. Its flowers are eaten by dormice and provide pollen for bees. In the autumn its bright red berries provide rich food for migrating birds, such as redwings, fieldfares and thrushes, as well as small mammals.

“O magic sight, the hedge is white,

My scent is very sweet;

And lo, where I am come indeed,

The Spring and Summer meet”

Cicily Mary Barker, The Song of the May Fairy

Symbolism: An ancient pagan symbol of fertility and marriage. In Celtic times most marriages took place at Beltane at the beginning of May. May blossom traditionally had great significance and symbolised the beginning of new life and the onset of the growing season. There is possibly no other tree so enshrined in English countryside traditions. Before the re-adjustment of the calendar in 1752, the first blossoms often marked the beginning the calendar month, which was also when the centuries-old May Day festival took place, celebrating the arrival of spring with maypole dancing, itself symbolic of renewed life and sexual union.

About the tree:

I drew this in the very early mornings from May to July in 2020, that horrendous first year of Covid. It was a wonderful way to find some peace and solitude during an intense time at home with a cooped-up child, missing his friends.

I loved the shape this gnarly old tree made against the sky and it blossomed as I drew, which was very cheering during that difficult time.  Its cracks and fissures add to its beauty and it was often visited by small birds, including a wren that would appear from its cavities. It is now leaning even more dramatically as the trunk splits.

About Ashton Court Estate:

Ashton Court dates back to before the 11th century and it is referred to in the Domesday Book as a wealthy estate with a manor house, great hall and courtyards. The Estate covers 850 acres of woods and open grassland laid out by Humphry Repton. Hidden in the woods near this tree is a 19th century ice house. During the winter, ice and snow would be cut from lakes or rivers and taken into the ice house and packed with insulations such as straw, where it would remain frozen during the first part of summer and was used to chill cold drinks and deserts. There is also a beautiful rose garden nearer the mansion. The estate has two deer parks and hundreds of veteran trees. The Domesday Oak, likely over 700 years old, still grows near Summerhouse Plantation and was selected by The Tree Council as one of 50 Great British Trees. In summer the grasslands on the plateau are full of wildflowers including common knapweed, ox-eye daisy and wild carrot and they ring with sound of skylarks that nest here. Top Park Field is also wonderful for wildflowers and abundant in green-winged and common spotted orchids.

Directions:

GPS: ST 55640 71441

What3words: super.teach.backed

For an hand drawn walking map click here:

Bike or walk:

From Bristol City Centre the National Cycle Route 33-Festival Way goes through the bottom of Ashton Court Estate. From here go up behind the mansion and follow the tarmac path through the parkland. When the track splits take the left fork and after passing a woodland on your left take a left turn through the gap in the fence and you’ll see the tree to your right.

Bus:

Take X4 bus from the C7 city centre bus stop, to Clanage Road, Bower Ashton, and its a 10-minute walk past the UWE art college to Ashton Court Estate Mansion House. Instructions are then the same as above.

Car:

Mansion house car park and Clifton Lodge car park open from 8am to dusk. Parking charges apply. Then instructions are the same as above.