BEECH, LITTLE WOOD

My favourite tree is this Beech (Fagus sylvatica) in Little Wood. A coach road linking Croxteth Hall, home of the Earls of Sefton with Knowsley Hall, home to the Earls of Derby runs through Little Wood. The majority of the trees were planted to offer protection to the coach road. It is even rumoured that the Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) were planted by prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars.

None of this was important to me as a boy, it was just my playground where I explored and pretended being the latest hero; think Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi!

This Beech tree always stood out from the rest with its smooth bark and soaring trunk. As a boy it seemed so big and powerful and playing around it always offered protection.

Returning, after 40 plus years it was heartening to see that it’s still going strong.

Contributor: Neil Moran