Britain’s smallest nature reserve is said to be the ground shaded by the Hethel Old Thorn, which grows on its own in a field just north of Hethel parish church in Norfolk. Recorded as an ancient tree as early as 1755 by Gilbert White’s Norfolk correspondent Robert Marsham, the tree is now looked after by Norfolk Wildlife Trust and has its own Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hethel_Old_Thorn).
Britain’s smallest nature reserve is said to be the ground shaded by the Hethel Old Thorn, which grows on its own in a field just north of Hethel parish church in Norfolk. Recorded as an ancient tree as early as 1755 by Gilbert White’s Norfolk correspondent Robert Marsham, the tree is now looked after by Norfolk Wildlife Trust and has its own Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hethel_Old_Thorn).
Public - partial access (e.g. next to footpath or road)
Surroundings:
Bridlepath / footpath, Field
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This is the well-known Hethel Old Thorn, mentioned in several old tree books as being the largest-girthed and oldest hawthorn in Britain, possibly around 500 yrs. old. However, other thorns have recently been recorded in Knole Park, Kent and Crawley, W. Sussex that both have slightly larger boles than this tree's when it was intact, and must be of an equivalent age. These thorns are also shown on this website.
From the OS map overlay, this hawthorn is shown to the S. where King John's Thorn lane is
This is the well-known Hethel Old Thorn, mentioned in several old tree books as being the largest-girthed and oldest hawthorn in Britain, possibly around 500 yrs. old. However, other thorns have recently been recorded in Knole Park, Kent and Crawley, W. Sussex that both have slightly larger boles than this tree's when it was intact, and must be of an equivalent age. These thorns are also shown on this website.
From the OS map overlay, this hawthorn is shown to the S. where King John's Thorn lane is