Our Arboretum is a beautiful part ofour Egham campus. Located near the Katharine Worth Building it boasts nearly 100 varieties of trees. The practise of collecting trees for study and pleasure dates back to the time of Egyptian pharaohs who cultivated exotic trees from Syria and Sudan. It's a great place to enjoy nature and biodiversity, as well as providing oppertunities for research and studying our changing climate.
To mark World Environment Day we asked Jonathan Howe, our External Spaces Business Partner to tell us more about this special space.
1. What is the Arboretum?
The Arboretum is one of the least known areas of the Egham campus, in a very tranquil spot to the north near the Katharine Worth Building. By definition an arboretum is a garden dedicated to growing trees and Royal Holloway's arboretum is also managed with a focus on issues including biodiversity, climate change and personal well-being. It is a very peaceful space in which students and staff can connect with nature and benefit from a collection of trees containing unusual varieties and a number of champion specimens.
The conditions in this location are brilliant for growing trees – sheltered, fertile, with light soil, and an abundance of water. The benefit of this is visible from the sheer size of some of the older specimens such as the coastal redwood that towers behind the Caryl Churchill Theatre. There are nearly one hundred varieties of tree present. The original collection brought together specimens that at the time of planting were considered notable due to their rarity, unusual characteristics and their significance in terms of spiritual meaning and traditional use. One of the most interesting trees to see is the cork oak, the bark of which was traditionally harvested to make fishing floats and bottle stoppers. This variety is native to Mediterranean areas but is the kind of species that is more likely to thrive in our area as the climate warms.
2. What is the history of this area of campus?
The Arboretum was established in the 1950s and 60s on land previously used originally for farming and then a number of large private gardens. It is one of the only remaining elements of a much larger site dedicated to supporting botany education and other related subjects within the University of London. One of the most admired trees in The Arboretum is the veteran oak which actually predates the collection by a couple of centuries. Oaks are historically the dominant woodland species of this area and offer a link to the inclusion of estate as part of Windsor Hunting Forest, dating back over a thousand years. Oak trees today are under threat in our area from the changing climate and this tree provides an opportunity to appreciate the magnificence of the species which may not be as common in future years. A timber bench has been constructed around the base from timber harvested from falling trees on the Estate.
3. How can students and colleagues access/visit/get involved with the arboretum?
The area is permanently open to students, staff and often enjoyed by the general public and is available to be used for outside learning. Given its secluded nature, colleagues in Drama, Theatre and Dance have been known to make good use of the space. It is hoped that the formation of Health Studies at Chestnuts will also offer opportunities to make use of the site . There are regular student volunteer activities on the site, over the last two years a summer workshop has been held to construct beaver dams in the watercourse – replicating beaver activity to change the management of water and the plant biology. Beavers are being reintroduced to the UK so could one day find their way back to campus naturally, although if that happens we will have to keep a close watch on the trees!
Why not plan your visit to The Arboretum today? You can find it at the top of our campus map here.