THE late Mr John Gloag, a former member of the Watford Abbeyfield Society, wrote down his memories of Watford before his death. Here he talks about an unusual tree that seems to have disappeared.

A PLEASANT country walk may be taken from Cassiobury Park through an avenue of lime trees which runs across the West Herts Golf Club course, and at its further end will be found the entrance to Whippendell Woods.

There the main path runs steeply downhill and at the end reaches an open space known as "the Strawberry Fields".

It was at the end of this path that an interesting tree could be found in that entwined in its branches, some four feet from the ground, was a large boulder known as a piece of Hertfordshire Pudding Stone.

It was evident that over a period of many years the boulder had been gradually lifted from the ground by the growth of the tree.

With the passing of time, however, either the tree has become decayed and fallen down, or has been felled, as a recent careful search has failed to reveal any trace of this interesting and unusual feature.

June 7, 2002 16:00