30 WALKS AND AVENUES OF DORCHESTER. 



of the said Manor in the said Court House and providing 

 proper and necessary conveniences for holding the same ; " 

 and it seems not improbable that the second portion of this 

 avenue above referred to was planted by him, the first portion 

 being of an older date. 



BRIDPORT AVENUE ROAD. There can be little doubt that 

 the Eastern end next the town of this avenue to the top of 

 the hill, so far as sycamore trees extend, was planted at the 

 same time with the Bowling Alley and West Walk avenues, 

 the trees being of the same age and species. In Simpson's 

 survey of the Manor, 1779, the double avenue is made to 

 extend thus far. In Taylor's map, published in 1795, the 

 avenue is carried on to Darner's Barn ; and it will be noticed 

 that the trees forming the extension, from a point about 

 opposite the town water works, where the sycamores cease, 

 are English elms of the same kind as those on the Weymouth 

 Road, and it is reasonable to suppose that this extension was 

 made about the same time (i.e., between the years 1779 and 

 1795) as that on the Weymouth Road. 



The extension of the avenue from Darner's Barn to the 

 road leading to Winterborne St. Martin was made in 1890 

 by the Dorchester Avenues Society, to which the late Mr. 

 Henry Symonds was hon. secretary. The trees are Chichester 

 elms, and are doing well considering their very exposed 

 position. 



It will be noticed that several of the sycamore trees first 

 planted on the North side of the avenue opposite Sydney 

 Terrace, above the Railway Bridge, have been removed. 

 This was done in 1895, by order of Mr. W. Tilley, with the 

 sanction of the Duchy, on the ground that they were dangerous 

 to, and obstructed the light from, the houses in the terrace.* 



* Since the above was written the Town Council has, with the 

 assistance of German prisoners, ruthlessly pollarded the fine old 

 sycamore trees from the Barrack Keep to the railway bridge on the 

 South side ; those on the North side, being Government property, 

 could not be touched. 



