The Tree Cathedral at Whipsnade was planted by Mr EK Blyth between 1931 and 1939.
The planting was inspired by a visit to Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, then under construction, and by the beauty of a group of trees seen on the way home. It was undertaken in the faith and hope which he had shared with two of his wartime comrades, who had been killed in 1918.
The ground plan follows a traditional cruciform pattern, and was extended gradually as new opportunities arose. The choice of trees is partly imitative of a stone structure, partly aesthetic, and partly empathic, based for example on the movement of the branches in wind.
The design was enlarged on the north and west sides in 1938/9 to provide room for a newly-made dew-pond. The pond is set at the centre of a cloister-garden, and surrounded by flowering shrubs. Each corner of the cloister is marked by a 'tower', planted round a hollow where chalk had once been extracted to burn into lime to 'sweeten' the clay soil.
On the outbreak of the Second World War, Mr Blyth returned to his regiment. The young plantation was left untended for eight years until he returned from the military government of Berlin in 1947, to rejoin his family law firm.
By 1952, enough of the resulting undergrowth had been cleared to hold ecumenical services. In 1960, a generous legacy enabled Mr Blyth to present the plantation to the National Trust, with an endowment to provide for its upkeep and for the running of services.
In 1984, the endowment fund was reorganised, enabling the present high standard of maintenance to be developed, with the help of regular volunteers, local contractors, and professional foresters and gardeners of the National Trust.
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