Whipsnade Tree Cathedral
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Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is a 9.5 acre (38,000 m²) garden in the village of Whipsnade in Bedfordshire, England. It is planted in the approximate form of a cathedral, with grass avenues for nave, chancel, transepts, chapels and cloisters and "walls" of different species of trees.
The Tree Cathedral was planted by a Mr EK Blyth as an act of "Faith, hope and reconciliation" in response to his memories of World War I. As a cadet at Sandhurst in 1916 Blyth had made two close friends called Arthur Bailey and John Bennett who were both dead within eighteen months. In 1930 he paid a visit to Liverpool Cathedral, which was then under construction. Blyth wrote "As we drove south through the Cotswold hills on our way home... I saw the evening sun light up a coppice of trees on the side of a hill. It occurred to me then that here was something more beautiful still and the idea formed of building a cathedral with trees." Work began in 1932 and continued in stages. The site became overgrown during World War II, but development recommenced after the end of the war. The first religious service at the site was held in 1953, and services continue to this day.
In 1960 the Tree Cathedral was accepted as a gift by the National Trust. The independent Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Fund is responsible for the religious use of the site. Services have been conducted by many different denominations.
The village of Whipsnade contains houses named after Mr Blyth (Blythswood) and his friends Arthur Bailey and John Bennett (Bailey Cottage and Bennetts Cottage)
 The Nave of Whipsnade Tree Cathedral |
 The South Transept of Whipsnade Tree Cathedral |
[edit] External links
- Whipsnade Tree Cathedral information at the National Trust
- Windy Sayles website, with information about the Tree Cathedral
- Map and aerial photo of Whipsnade Tree Cathedral from Multimap.com
- Other map and aerial photo sources
- grid reference TL007181
