The month began with a street party for the 150th anniversary, organised by residents of Bolingbroke Grove North, opposite St Mary‘s cemetery. This narrow strip of Common was handed back to the conservators in 1871 when the Wandsworth Common Act was signed. The anniversary was a catalyst for a celebratory get together as restrictions eased over the summer. We were pleased to hear that the residents were enjoying the three new trees planted as part of the anniversary and were looking forward to more being planted this season.

Some of the oldest trees on the Common - about 140 years - are those edging the cricket pitch and are starting to show their age. Two fell over unexpectedly over the summer, prompting Enable to mount a thorough inspection. One of Enable‘s tree officers organised a walk for us to explain the problem.

The two trees that fell over were suffering from advanced root rot. The inspection revealed two other trees that were also unstable and had to be felled. In order to preserve the life of the remainder, extensive pollarding and crown reduction work was undertaken in August, to reduce the risk of further falls in the autumn gales. Although the immediate result is not very attractive, the aim is to preserve the trees for as long as possible. It also emphasises the need for continual new planting to preserve and increase our tree canopy. We are in discussion with Enable about next season’s planting.

We’ll be organising more tree walks in the autumn. These are very popular and book out to members very quickly, so we only advertise them to members. The same is true of all our walks, including the three bird walks we organised in August.

The green flag that Wandsworth Common was awarded in 2020 was finally unfurled in front of Neil’s lodge/Skylark, where the plaque to John Buckmaster was unveiled by the Mayor in July. A fitting end to our 150th anniversary celebrations.