Tree cathedral
A tree cathedral is an arboretum laid out so the arrangement of the trees creates the typical architectural elements of the nave, chancel, and transepts usually constructed from masonry in a typical medieval cathedral.
Examples of tree cathedrals include:
- Whipsnade Tree Cathedral in Bedfordshire, England. It was planted from 1932 by the lawyer Edmond Blyth as a First World War memorial, inspired by Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. It was donated to the National Trust in 1960, and became a Grade II registered garden in 2017.
- The tree cathedral planted 1986 at Newlands, near central Milton Keynes, to a design by the landscape architect Neil Higson, based Norwich Cathedral.
- The cattedrale vegetale at Malga Costa, in the Val di Sella in northern Italy, a project commenced in 2001 (see Arte Sella), and a second one at Lodi, Lombardy, for Expo 2015; both by the Italian artist Giuliano Mauri.
References
- Whipsnade Tree Cathedral, Historic England
- Whipsnade Tree Cathedral, National Trust
- Inside Britain's magnificent Tree Cathedral – and five more arboreal structures , The Telegraph, 5 December 2017
- Tree Cathedral, The Parks Trust, Milton Keynes
- Cattedrale vegetale