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Project

Our Commemorative woodland at Erddig

The 18th century parterre garden at Erddig in Wales on a sunny day in May, with formal flowerbeds in the foreground.
The 18th century parterre garden at Erddig in Wales | © National Trust Images/Gwenno Parry

We're proud to be the location of one of Wales’ new commemorative woodlands that will stand as living memorials to those who have sadly lost their lives during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

We are providing nine hectares of land at Hafod, on the southern edge of our Erddig estate to create a beautiful, safe and accessible woodland where people can visit, remember loved ones and spend time in nature.

We’re privileged to be working in partnership with the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales to support the commemorative woodlands project.

A woodland to remember

The new woodland will be for remembrance and reflection, but also to give a future green space for everyone to continue that much needed, beneficial connection with the natural world for ever.

The woodland will have a theme of ‘resilience’; a fitting symbol of the strength the people of Wales have shown over the past year and will play an important role in supporting nature’s recovery and our fight against the climate crisis.

Once finished later in the year the woodland will become a public space and we can all watch the woodland grow together.

A visitor in a green jacket walks a dog along a path
An idea of how the woodland may look in the future | © National Trust Images/Paul Harris
Two women sitting on a bench at Blakes Wood, Essex, in spring
There will be plenty of quiet spots for remembrance and reflection | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Creating a woodland: Our design

We are pleased to share our final design of the commemorative woodland at Erddig. Following community engagement sessions and input from stakeholders several key requirements emerged shaping the final plan into several zones, each with a specific focus:

A place for people

  • A welcoming entrance to the woodland rich in flora will connect to the existing car park and provide information for people to plan their visit.

  • At the heart of the woodland a large grassland meadow will provide an open-air social space for picnics, events and activities. In the summer months mown paths will create an immersive experience for visitors as wildflowers bloom.

  • People will be encouraged to get explore nature in a natural play zone at the corner of the site.

  • A permanent community space will allow for the creation of allotments and an orchard full of fruit trees will blossom in spring and fruit to pick in autumn.

  • For those seeking solitude a special quiet zone will give space for contemplation with a water feature for a focal point.

  • Flat, wide accessible paths suitable for wheelchairs, trampers and buggies will connect the different zones. Existing footpaths will give further pedestrian access and allow for exploration of the surrounding countryside.
A bee on an orchid in the wildflower meadow at Plas Newydd, Anglesey, North Wales
Wildflower meadows are included in the final design | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

A place for nature

  • Small, wooded sections on the edge of the site will be densely planted and left entirely for wildlife. Trees and shrubs will provide much needed homes and nesting spots for birds and mammals whilst helping reduce noise and pollution from the neighbouring road.

  • Tree species used in the woodland will be able to adapt to the threats of pests, diseases and a changing climate with the majority being native broadleaf varieties that are historically and culturally linked to the area.

  • A second meadow will act as a food source for pollinators and protect evidence of a historical ridge and furrow meadow. Scattered ponds, hedgerows and wooded glades will add to the variation of vital habitats created for amphibians, mammals and birds to thrive.
A close up of a tree sapling with people in the background
Tree planting at the commemorative woodland | © National Trust Images/Paul Harris

The woodland space at Erddig will be commemorative in its entirety and we do not intend to have individually dedicated trees. This is because woodlands are dynamic, living systems that are actively managed. In order for them to thrive we will sometimes need to remove trees for safety and to make space for the woodland to mature.

A National Forest for Wales

The commemorative woodland project forms part of the Welsh Government’s National Forest Programme. The National Forest will comprise a network of publicly accessible woodlands under high quality management across Wales, to include both new and existing woodlands. Community engagement will be at the forefront of the development of National Forest sites to help ensure the woodlands provide opportunities for recreation, education, and exercise and in this case, also a place for reflection to remember those lost to Covid-19.

Commemorative woodlands in Carmarthenshire and Caerphilly

Two further commemorative woodlands are being created in partnership with the Welsh Government: Natural Resources Wales’ Brownhill in Carmarthenshire and Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Ynys Hywel.

View of Powis Castle, perched above its terraced gardens, Powys, Wales, in autumn.

Discover more in Wales

A Celtic land with an industrial past steeped in myth, legend, poetry and song. Croeso i Gymru.

Two women sitting on a bench at Blakes Wood, Essex, in spring
Press release
Press release

National Trust Cymru share design of Commemorative Woodland at Erddig and invite people to help plant trees 

National Trust Cymru have shared the final design of one of Wales’ new commemorative woodlands at Erddig near Wrexham. People are being invited to help plant trees at the woodland which will be a living memorial to those who have sadly lost their lives during the Covid-19 Pandemic.