Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith
We’re lucky to have lots of trees in H&F. But we’d like to see many more and this World Environment Day (5 June), we’d like to hear where you want to see them.
We probably take them for granted, but trees not only make our streets and parks look pleasant, they help rid the air of pollutants.
“There are many benefits to having lots of trees,” said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Residents’ Services. “They help clean the air in a city, so can improve our physical health and proximity to nature is also proven to benefit mental health. We have some wonderful trees in H&F, but we want to be the greenest borough in the country, so we’re going to add more.”
Bringing more green to H&F
Recently we completed two new projects to plant trees in roads where residents had asked us to help add some greenery.
Now we’re looking for more areas where we could do the same. If you’d like us to consider your road for a green makeover, then get in touch by emailing treesenquiries@lbhf.gov.uk.
We’ll then review all the applications and create a program of schemes, working closely with residents, to see where they can successfully be delivered.
Our notable trees
Among the borough’s more impressive trees, is the fantastical-looking holm oak (Quercus ilex) in the grounds of Fulham Palace.
This is the oldest tree of this species in Britain and is thought to have been planted when the palace was built in 1495.
The Japanese garden in Hammersmith Park is home to an impressive Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata).
A trip south to Ravenscourt Park and you’ll find the splendidly-named tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). This towering giant is among the tallest of its kind in the country.
And a short walk across the park is a one hundred-year-old London plane (Platanus hispanica). This ragged-looking example is ranked among the ‘Great Trees of London’ by the charity Trees for Cities. Amazingly, it survived being hit by a bomb during the Second World War, hence its unusual shape.
Of course when it comes to London planes, it would be remiss to not mention the stunningly Instagrammable avenue of towering trees at the southern entrance to Bishops Park.
And even in our town centres, there are trees of note. Such as the row of cherry blossoms in Macbeth Street, Hammersmith, whose annual pink blooms are such a festival of colour that even the most time-pressed commuters will stop to take a snap.
You can see all the trees in the borough’s streets on the Great London Authority’s new London Tree Map.
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