History on your doorstep: 7. Lily Hill Park

Welcome to the fourth in my series. This time I’m showcasing my top ten favourite historical stories and features, selected from our ‘Greenspace on your doorstep’ directory.

At number 7 is Lily Hill Park in Berkshire…

Lily Hill Park is located within land purchased in 1807 by Henry Dormer Vincent Esquire. His son, Henry William Vincent, who inherited it in 1833, shaped it in the style of the 18th century landscape parks designed by Capability Brown and Humphrey Repton. Henry was an enthusiastic collector of both native and introduced trees and, thanks to him, Lily Hill Park features a fascinating mixture of natives, such as veteran English Oaks, and introduced, such as the Monkey Puzzle and the Wellingtonia.

The Monkey Puzzle

First introduced from Chile and Argentina to Britain in 1795, this prehistoric tree, capable of living for 1,000 years, has been traced back to the era of the dinosaurs. It developed its spiky needles as protection from long-since extinct grazing and browsing animals.

Monkey Puzzles, credit: Ariel Cabrera Foix

The Wellingtonia

On its native Pacific slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California USA, the Wellingtonia is commonly known as the “Big Tree”. One specimen, now dead – and revealed by a ring-count to be 3,500 years old – is 27m in girth and 100m in height. Laid on the ground, it would take the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt, 9.58 seconds to run the distance!

Wellingtonia, credit Franco Folini

For directions, information and more photographs, go to the Lily Hill entry in ‘Greenspace on your doorstep’.

Warden Mike

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