please empty your brain below

Splendid places all, which most likely fuelled my enduring love of walking under tree canopies in all seasons. As a teenager I used to walk through Queens and Highgate Woods on sponsored walks from Wood Green to Hampstead Heath.
Full marks to whoever designed Coldfall Wood's Historic Map. It's the best presentation of historic land use change that I've seen for a long time.
Summer of '76, and I first become aware of the meaning of a 'coppice' thanks to Bluebell Woods [although I am pretty sure we didn't call it that back then, as we headed off for a day's adventure on our choppers...]

Even to this day, when 'coppice' is mentioned my mind travels down memory lane to this very place ...

Cheers!
Well, well, how things change. It's at least a couple of decades since I used to regularly visit these woods. I'm sure it's an accidental impression from choosing a limited number of photos but, it does look more "theme park" than I remember.
As I understand it, prehistoric is the period before there are written records, it varies from country to country, so in the USA its before Europeans turned up, according to Wikipedia, in the UK its AD 43 when the Romans turned up.
I have to say that the Wild Service Tree has completely passed me by, never heard of it before today.
Thanks for an excellent description of these fascinating places.
I've been told that another characteristic of wild service trees is that they tend to lean slightly. There's one in Queen's Wood that shows that, with other trees around it bolt upright. We found it in 50 acres only with the guidance of the former Conservation Officer of Haringey.
I used to love walking in Queen's Wood when I lived at the bottom of Highgate Hill. The hilliness and the fact that it's mostly left to do its own thing really make it feel like you've momentarily escaped the city. Great starting/ending point for the Parkland Walk, too.
As a teenager, I lived in Wood Green, had a Saturday job in Hornsey, and went to school in Southgate, so that borough would have suited me fine. However, as things turned out, passports were not required to travel between the new London boroughs anyway.

I was quite unaware of Bluebell Wood, though we often went to "the tunnel", the bit of green nearby on the top of the railway tunnel, where one could watch trains and walk the dog at the same time. These were proper trains, including what we called "streaks" (streamlined express steam locos). But it's great to read about these treasures of North London.
I will certainly take your advice about Highgate Wood on my next trip to London.
Very interesting places - if I could have one superpower it would be to be able to identify tree species on sight.
Isn't Hornchurch Cutting on the Overground's Emerson Park line the southernmost extent of glaciation in Britain?
Coldfall is the furthest south the ice extended to the north of London. [map]

The finger of ice down to Hornchurch nudged a bit further south. [map] [link] [link]

The ice pushed even further south down the Severn Estuary and into North Devon. [map]
I grew up in Highgate and knew Highgate and Queens Woods well. The Alexandra Palace branch line ran round the west and north of Highgate Wood and it was possible to ran through the wood hoping for a view of the train. At school in the 50's there was talk of a bag of hand grenades buried by the Home Guard in 1940 and the location forgotten about. In the 70's I believe someone with a metal detector located them. The ponds in Queens Wood were ideal for clockwork boats providing no dogs were about off their leash. There was a plague pit in Queens Wood that received a mention at school. Coldfall Wood was walked through when at school on Creighton Avenue where the wood used to be. We as part of the baby boomer generation were too many for the school facilities so were in huts in the Primary School playground a walk through the wood.
It's nice that The City Corporation has added such nice gates to Highgate Woods and has maintained it's charm.
You might like this. It's unrelated to this particular post, but...

dg writes: I've moved your comment to the last post about buses, Miles, thanks.
For five years before I retired I worked opposite Highgate Wood and spent summer lunch breaks there. I was amazed when talking about the woods that several of my colleagues had no idea where it was! The trees were visible from the windows! The father of one of my school friends was one of the Highgate Wood Keepers and the job came with a tied cottage in the middle of the Wood. I believe the cottage is still there but not sure what use it has now.
It is still there and occupied, I think as a private dwelling but further I don't know.










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