PUBWOODS

Once upon a time England was Timberland. This is what made it attractive to early settlers. Once you could make a flint axe you no longer had to live in a cave. You could now turn trees into wood and build wooden houses, palisades, fences and even forts. It also floated and was good for boats and rafts. Also bowls, barrels, benches and the leftover bits used for firewood.

Forests provided protection and cover for game, and trees bearing fruit could be cultivated as orchards. You could also go nut gathering.

Today we still have a Forestry Commission, National Parks, Seed Centres, and believe it or not Sacred Groves. It's true we have Developers who would decimate Britain with chainsaws to fill it up with Supermarkets, Trading Estates, Dual carriageways and densely packed Housing. And there are certainly still councils that regard anything that grows more than feet high with fear and hostility, especially if it sheds leaves in the winter.

This attitude to decimation is not new. Charcoal for gunpowder and the Iron Industry, Oak trees for ships timbers turned some forests into noisy industrial areas. Ironically wagon wheels used for transporting goods were also made of wood; just the rims were iron.

Bad mistakes have been made in timber conservation with imported quick growing conifers replacing our slow growing but beautiful species. A tree which takes 500 years to become outstanding can be decimated by chainsaw in less than fifty minutes.

Pubs have always reflected our worship of woods and still do. There is a Pub named after just about every species of tree grown in Britain. Plus the connected trades. Pubs with splendid beams abound, many with wooden flooring and log fires. Before stainless steel casks and barrels were made from oak. Oak casks are still used for aging certain wines and whiskies, and there are still Coopers who can make such things. 'Beer for the Wood' used to be a slogan. There are still Pubs and Breweries where such a thing is possible.

So Pubwoods and onwards as we start our Treecrawl with APPLE TREES. Where would Britain be without them? How would Isaac Newton have discovered gravity?

The British have grafted and experimented to produce the best varieties of apple in the world. We have such delights as Cox's Pippins, Golden Noble, Peasgoods Nonsuch, Laxton's Fortune, Sunset and many more.

Then of course was the age old discovery that apples which didn't make scrumptious eating could be used for Scrumpy making, and Cider was invented and fermented. Rosy cheeks and 'Cider with Rosie' could liven up Rustic Revels. It was cheaper than beer, simpler to make and untaxed for centuries. There were Cider Houses which sold nothing else.

The Pub we have picked is The APPLE TREE in Stockwell Lane in WOODMANCOTE, Gloucestershire which was a former Cider House. Now a family Pub with comfy sofas, log fires and a garden with idyllic views.

Then of course there is the original Bramley Apple Tree which is still surviving in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, in a private garden near the Minster but better still is The BRAMLEY APPLE Pub close by in Church Street which host a fruitful life of its own with Folk Festivals, Jazz and Blues music and other entertainments - with cask ales, and is also an outlet for Springhead, a small Brewery from Sutton-on-Trent which has become very popular.

Apple wood logs are quite aromatic to burn, and the wood is also good for intricate carving. I remember a clock made entirely of Applewood - all the cogs and moving parts made by a very gifted relative. I don't know what happened to it. I like to think it could be in a Pub.

The ASH TREE, Brownbread Street ASHBURNHAM, East Sussex. This is known with affection as the 'Little Lost Inn in the Woods.' The last iron foundry in Sussex was founded in this area in 1813.

A good 400 years old the Pub structure is redbrick with a weatherboarded extension, unless that came first. It has four bars, and three log fireplaces, plus a hedged garden with great view.

Now Ash trees grow like weeds at a furious pace, and put out both seeds and suckers. Now this is not a bad thing if you wish to grow your own logs, as Ash is the very best of firewood, and as the name implies really does burn away to fine ash. There are also other uses and the wood was favoured for wheel spokes, and in the 1930's certain sports cars actually used ash framing.

The BAY TREE, Sheep Street, BURFORD, Oxfordshire. Originally built as a home for Sir Lawrence Tanfield in 1584 He was a politician who became Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1608. It is believed Elizabeth 1st stayed there. Why not? she certainly did the rounds. It is now a swish venue with a very fine garden. This is another good thing about Pubs - you can enjoy and relax in some wonderful gardens without having to do any actual gardening.

The Bay Tree is the 'Laurel Noblis' part of the Laurel Family which are mostly shrub size. I have no idea which laurel leaves the Romans used to make wreaths to be worn by Champions and Emperors, but this tree, also known as the Sweet Bay supplies the leaves that are dried and used as culinary flavouring.