Whipsnade Tree Cathedral

This incredible Tree Cathedral, made from trees, shrubs and plants, was created after the First World War in the spirit of ‘faith, hope and reconciliation’.

Admission to the Tree Cathedral is free. Donations welcome to the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Fund c/o The Trustees.

Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is owned by the National Trust and administered by the Trustees of Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Fund.

Whipsnade, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 2LQ

Whipsnade Tree Cathedral

Trees, hedges & shrubs planted in the form of a medieval cathedral

TREE CATH

This incredible Tree Cathedral, made from trees, shrubs and plants, was created after the First World War in the spirit of ‘faith, hope and reconciliation’.

Admission to the Tree Cathedral is free. Donations welcome to the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Fund c/o The Trustees.

Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is owned by the National Trust and administered by the Trustees of Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Fund.

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 Edmond K. 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 close friends called Arthur Bailey, John Bennett and Francis Holland who were all killed prior to the end of the war. 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 Tree Cathedral contains chapels meant for each of the four seasons.

The Icknield Way Path passes adjacent to the Tree Cathedral on its 110 mile journey from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Suffolk. The Icknield Way Trail, a multi-user route for walkers, horse riders and off-road cyclists also passes adjacent.

Edmund Blyth – Visions of a Cathedral

TREE CATh blyth-web-ready

Born in 1898, Edmund Blyth served in the infantry in World War I and suffered the loss of dear friends Arthur Bailey and John Bennett, who died in the March retreat of 1918. He wanted to create a lasting legacy for his comrades-in-arms who were no longer with him.

 

Edmund initially purchased 2 cottages in Whipsnade, to be used as holiday homes for poor London families.

By 1930 another WWI comrade, Francis Holland had been killed in a car crash and Blyth felt that all his friends deserved something more worthy in their memory. That autumn, he and his wife drew his inspiration from a visit to the unfinished Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.

“This interested us very much, with the beauty of its design and the colouring and craftsmanship of its pink sandstone. As we talked of it we thought what a wonderful and inspiring thing it must be for the workers to be engaged on.”

 

“We talked of this as we drove south through the Cotswold Hills on our way home and it was while we were doing this that 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.” EK Blyth
 

Delayed By War

On the outbreak of the Second World War, Edmund Blyth returned to his regiment. The young plantation was left untended for eight years until he returned from the military government of Berlin in 1947, to rejoin his family law firm. In the intervening years, the site had become overgrown.

After the Second World War, work started again, although the years of neglect had left the tree cathedral very overgrown. Regular assistance in the clearance was given by Gerald Wallsam, who is commemorated in Wallsam Way. Another dedicated assistant was William Baldwin.

By 1952, enough of the resulting undergrowth had been cleared to hold ecumenical services. In 1960, a generous legacy enabled Mr Blyth to present the plantation to the National Trust, with a covenant allowing trustees of the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Fund to continue its upkeep and organise services.

The only change to the original plan has been the addition of the hornbeam avenue from the car park. This was in memory of Mr Blyth’s son Tom who managed the Tree Cathedral after his father’s death in 1969, until his own death in 1978.

After Gerald Wallsam passed away in 1983, the endowment fund was reorganised, enabling the present high standard of maintenance to be developed. The present trustees continue to manage the site with the help of regular volunteers, local contractors and professional foresters, as well as the rangers of National Trust Bedfordshire Properties.

tree cath1

The National Trust – Whipsnade Tree Cathedral