HISTORY OF BRITISH WOODLANDS 



Richard II. To-day the greatest part of the 

 oak is in perfect condition, though some of the 

 logs have been badly attacked by insects. The 

 original roof of 1098 was of Irish oak obtained 

 by King William Rufus from the Wicklow hills. 

 The cloister alleys of Durham Cathedral is 

 another early and splendid example of the 

 beauty and lasting properties of British oak; 

 while Cochwillam barn, in Carnarvonshire, 

 contains quantities of the hardest and most 

 beautifully coloured oak timber that I have 

 ever seen. The massive roof of St. Paul's 

 Cathedral was formed of oak from Welbeck in 

 1695. In rebuilding London after the fire 

 large quantities of timber were brought from 

 the adjoining forests, notably those in Kent, 

 Sussex, and Surrey, as well as Middlesex and 

 the heights of Hertfordshire . From Kingston- 

 on-Thames it is also on record that remarkably 

 fine oak timber was brought to London. 



But as well as buildings, the consumption 

 of timber as fuel must have been considerable 

 at that early date, and so helped towards the 

 destruction of the woods and forests, for it is 



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