Bedgebury Pinetum was chosen for our second excursion. Starting 

 from Kingsnorth Gardens we drove to Tenterden, where in the 14th 

 century woollen manufactures were started. The next place of interest 

 was Goudhurst whose termination showed that this place was once 

 the heart of the Saxon forest of Andredesleah, which was about 30 miles 

 broad and stretched for 120 miles along the north of the Kingdom of 

 the South Saxons. The forest provided wood for the furnaces while the 

 discovery of iron in beds of Wadhurst Clay provided material to build 

 up heavy industries. We now reached the estate of the Bedgeburry 

 family and stretching before us lay the park surrounding their home. 

 In 1424 the estate passed to the Culpepers while today the mansion is a 

 school, and the park under the control of the Forestry Commissioners. 



Members of the Society were welcomed by the Supervisor, Mr. 

 Westall, who after a short talk on trees and the Pinetum, guided them 

 through the most interesting part of the forest. 



It was a very happy group of people who returned. They had seen 

 the nursery in which young trees were reared for Kew, had journeyed 

 through a world of plants and myriads of insects and gathered knowledge 

 which gave food for thought on the homeward journey and after. 



A. J. Wright, f.r.g.s. 



20 



