40 LONDON TREES 



for in the history of Enfield it is stated that the oldest 

 Cedar in England is undoubtedly that still flourish- 

 ing in the Palace garden of Enfield, which was planted 

 by Dr. Uvedale between 1662 and 1670. 



There are still many old and remarkable specimens 

 of the Lebanon Cedar to be found on the outskirts of 

 London, such as two at Mill Hill, planted by Peter 

 Collinson, with immense stems which girth 20 feet 

 and 1 6 feet 4 inches respectively at a yard from the 

 ground. The larger tree, which is growing on the 

 lawn near the public road, was Collinson J s favourite, 

 and near it his house stood. Unfortunately, the beauty 

 of this tree has been considerably marred by the 

 breaking away of a large branch during a storm in 

 1916. In the grounds of Fulham Palace there is a 

 Lebanon Cedar of large size which is in a fairly healthy 

 condition when the atmospheric conditions of Chelsea 

 are taken into account. 



But everywhere in the London area the Cedar 

 of Lebanon shows signs of distress, and the fact that 

 the tree is now rarely planted unless in the outer 

 suburban districts, and there only in a very limited 

 number, shows that the present generation of planters 

 have become alive to the fact that for the Metropolis 

 as a whole this tree cannot be recommended. 



Putting aside the value of the Lebanon Cedar for 

 ornamental purposes, its economic value is not very 

 great, though the production of a very large quantity 

 of useful timber must be recognised. The timber 

 grown in London is of good quality, and being of 

 great width is suitable for many important purposes. 

 The utility of the wood has been principally in a 

 decorative way, for which its beautiful pale pink 

 colour and sweet fragrance render it suitable. Speci- 



