By Victoria Brenan

Last updated at 09:49, Saturday, 16 June 2012

Campaigners are fighting proposals to fell a landmark monkey puzzle tree in the Lake District.

The monkey puzzle tree

The Lake District National Park (LDNPA) wants to remove the 110-year-old tree from outside the Brockhole Visitor Centre in Windermere because officials say it was not part of the original garden design.

But a campaign has been mounted by a Lakeland group which includes the wildlife artist and veteran ‘tree saver’ Marianne Birkby, who has fought a successful battle to save the iconic Rusland Beeches from being felled.

LDNPA says the Brockhole tree needs felling to ‘improve the views and vistas of the listed garden’.

However, Mrs Birkby said the tree was one of the finest specimens in Cumbria and should be saved.

She and the other campaigners have handed out leaflets to Brockhole visitors to drum up support to save the tree.

The Cumbria Gardens Trust has also complained to LDNPA about plans to fell the tree in the autumn.

Adam Thomas, LDNPA’s Brockhole development manager, said the plan to remove the tree was supported by English Heritage.

“We understand people’s emotional attachment to this tree, but it was never part of the original garden designs for Brockhole by Thomas Mawson, and as we try to restore the gardens to their original splendour it is seen as being out of character. The tree removal is a part of a major plan to improve the views and vistas of the listed garden.

“However, the monkey puzzle will live on. Brockhole will be working with Kew Gardens to help propagate new saplings culminating in the planting of a new monkey puzzle on the lawn leading from the road to the house.

“In addition the wood will be reused on site to create a new visitor feature,” added Mr Thomas.

David Matthews, chairman of Cumbria Gardens Trust, told LDNPA in a letter: “We understand the argument for removing this tree is that it was not part of Mawson’s plan of the garden, but if one takes the argument that all non-Mawson plants should be eradicated, we suspect that a great many plants growing there would have to be removed.”

First published at 08:59, Saturday, 16 June 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk