9 8 LONDON TREES 



name will always be associated with the tiny fruit and 

 vegetable shop at the corner of Craig's Court, refused 

 a princely sum for a few yards of the garden which 

 would have involved the sacrifice of this stately speci- 

 men. When Northumberland House was still standing 

 and the Embankment unthought of, this Plane tree 

 was flourishing in its cramped and crowded position 

 in the tiny garden attached to Harrington House. 

 When the garden was taken over for the use of the 

 Royal Flying Corps the tree was carefully preserved, 

 and is not at all likely to suffer by the rather too press- 

 ing attention of the hoarding. It is a majestic tree, 

 with a well-rounded trunk that girths 9 feet 4 inches at 

 a yard from the ground, and has a nice clean stem for 

 about 30 feet, the total height of the trunk being close 

 on 70 feet. 



Both in St. James's and Regent's Parks there are 

 many large and well-developed Plane trees ; indeed, 

 such are so commonly distributed over London that 

 it is almost invidious to single out particular speci- 

 mens. 



But by far the largest Plane trees around London 

 are those at Ranelagh and Hurlingham, one opposite 

 the club room in the grounds of the former being the 

 largest tree of its kind in Britain. It is a magnificent 

 specimen, with a well-rounded ponderous stem that 

 girths 24 feet 2 inches at a yard from the ground, the 

 branches having a spread of 90 feet. When measured 

 in 1915 this tree was in feet in height and 21 feet in 

 girth at 5 feet. 



Those by the water-side at Hurlingham are also 

 of huge dimensions ; indeed, it is questionable whether 

 in any other part of London there are so many fine 

 trees of the Plane as at Ranelagh and Hurlingham. 



