The trees of Fredville Park-revised 23.5.2013

The “Step Tree” and other chestnuts.
In the 1930’s Dr. Hardman, a noted East Kent historian recorded the memories of  Richard Jarvis Arnold of of life in Nonington in the 1880’s & 90’s. Mr. Arnold, a blacksmith born in Nonington but who later lived and worked in Walmer, recollected: “The trees of Fredville Park were well known. In addition to the old oak there were some large chestnuts. One was called the ‘Step Tree’ and had some steps affixed to it. In the upper part of the trunk and branches 12 or 20 people could sit”.
It was said that members of the Plumptre family often had tea on the platform in the “Step Tree” in the years before the Great War, the tree is still there but is now unfortunately showing its age.

The programme for an excursion by Kent Archaeological Society to Nonington in September, 1936, noted that: The well known ‘Majesty Oak’ is close to the terrace (of the house); it is 38 ½ fee in girth (4 ½ feet above the ground) and may be 1,000 years old. At a little distance is the chestnut avenue in which the ‘Step’ tree and two others are notable.  Further in the park (near Sheerway Gate) is the famous horn beam, which has a ‘spread’ of over 100 feet; and perhaps this is the most notable of all.  It is possibly 500 years old’.
It was reputed that a company of soldiers could take shelter underneath the hornbeam’s spreading branches, possibly this was discovered when the East Kent Rifle Volunteers mustered in Fredville Park in 1872. Unfortunately the horn beam has long gone,  and I can find no pictorial or written details concerning  it.

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