Category Archives: The Beechwoods

The Beechwoods is a rare piece of mature beech woodland on the southern outskirts of Cambridge. It is a vantage point from which to observe and reflect on the seemingly inexorable expansion of the high-tech City.

Beechwoods Regeneration

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Brian

Beech woodland is shady and often characterised by a dense carpet of fallen leaves and mast husks, which prevent most woodland plants from growing.  Young beeches prefer some shade and may grow poorly in full sunlight, however. In the Beechwoods … Continue reading →

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Beechwood Roots

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Brian

The beech usually grows on drier, free-draining soils, such as chalk, limestone and light loams. The root system is shallow, even superficial, with large roots spreading out in all directions.  This makes trees susceptible to drought and high winds.  In the … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods Boles – Elephant Tree

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Brian

‘Old trees: hugely domed, usually much branched; occasional survivors of the fellings of two wars with 15-20m straight, cylindrical bole’, is how The Field Guide describes the common beech.   Some of the trees in the Beechwoods fit the first description.  … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods – Spring Leaves

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Brian

The trees in the Beechwoods are coming into leaf, but in a strangely erratic way.  Many are almost devoid of leaves and retain their winter tracery of bare branches.  At the other extreme a few have dense crowns of green … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods – Cambridge Edge

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Brian

Two little structures sit in a field of beans (or peas) on the edge of Cambridge.  Hides for shooters protecting the crop from the hungry pigeons.  ‘Hide’, the perfect use of a verb as a noun; in America a ‘blind’, … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods Setting

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Brian

A disturbed night.  Then the day dawned bright and clear and I decided to visit the Beechwoods to re-energise myself.  I wanted to try to photograph the woods in their landscape setting.  This was not easy.  The topography is gently … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods – Beech Fagus sylvatica

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Brian

Native to S. E. and Midland England. …. Dominant and climax tree on chalk and some well-drained sands.  Much planted in policies, woods, gardens and parks in all parts.  Frequent in shelter-belts, especially in s. Scotland, also as garden-hedges.  Old … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods Bark

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Brian

I’m using photography as the main medium for the Beechwoods project.  I also want to see how other media can help to visualise the woods – posts in November 2016 and March 2017 used scans of leaves and recently I … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods – Past & Present

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Brian

In the third part of his history of photography in Britain Eamonn McCabe looked at the work of Mishka Henner.  Henner is a Belgian artist whose work reflects the concerns of photographic artists in the internet age. ‘He has been … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods – Spring

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Brian

After a very early breakfast this morning I watched the third part of Eamonn McCabe’s history of photography in Britain (BBC4).  It has been an excellent series, striking a perceptive balance between the social, personal, creative and technical lenses through … Continue reading →

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Beechwood Colours 2

Posted on March 4, 2017 by Brian

Beechwoods winter leaves, February 2010

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Beechwoods – The Past That Lingers

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Brian

Buried somewhere under this tangle of brambles is a three sided wooden bunker.  What was it for and why has it been abandoned?  In the March 2007 issue of Black+White Photography Anna Bonita Evans writes about the photography of Patti … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods – Deformity

Posted on February 18, 2017 by Brian

What is the cause of this strange deformity?  It looks as if the tree has been bound with cables at some time, possibly to brace another tree, but that seems rather unlikely give the natural management regime in the Beechwoods.  … Continue reading →

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Worts Causeway

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Brian

It was a surprise to have to scrape ice off the car this morning after a mild day yesterday.  No frost on the ground around the Beechwoods, but wet underfoot.  Graphic designs in the sky; sunrise hidden by low cloud … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods – A Hanger?

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Brian

Woods have a magnetic quality.  Folk tales tell of being drawn into woods with their conflicting sense of refuge and menace – Robin Hood and Babes in The Wood.  Trees with their superficial similarity become a maze; thickets emit disembodied … Continue reading →

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