including Beech Bottom Dyke and Sandridge Road Wastes
This substantial branch of a Field Maple Tree has fallen on the path from Edmond Beaufort Drive and Spinney Lane. We can remove the smaller branches to clear most of this well used path, but the main part of the branch will need a chain saw.
The image on the right shows the lobed form of the leaf which is relatively small compared other maple leaves on the Heath. These trees are members of the acer family.
Thanks to RM for advice on trees.
Update 22/10/21: branch now removed from path
Earlier this year Heath Field gained another piece of furniture; a bench seat in memory of Marian Wright. This has been installed beside the cycle path, filling a space where two trees had successively succumbed to vandalism.
Being made from quite substantial oak timbers the seat should be immune to damage, but instead, a potential hazard was noted, to small children in particular. The two attachment bolts for the backrest, see below were over-long and stuck out where a child’s head or face could have made contact, with unpleasant results. The seat should not have left the factory in that state.
We pointed the possible danger out to SADC Green Spaces, but as nothing had been done the FoBH fixer was deployed, with the improvement that can be seen in the photos.
A similar seat on the other side of Harpenden Road has bolts concealed in the wood.
Photos and text: RM
In the 1930s, St Albans Council erected a combined bus shelter and public toilets in the south corner of Heath Field. Sometime in the early 1980s, the building was demolished, leaving some laurel bushes which were common landscaping accompaniments to such facilities.
Continue reading “A sweet Smell of Success”
No need to go to Heartwood to see a magnificent display of bluebells. Being of the native variety, they are not only a feast for the eyes, but also for the nose. Find them from the Valley Road entrance to the Dyke on the side towards the railway.
Photo: AK
On Sunday morning, 18th April 2021, one of the Sandridge Road ornamental cherry trees found the weight of blossom on a branch too much to bear; it fell across the footpath and most of the road. Fortunately, nobody on the pavement or road came to any harm and that it was a Sunday morning when traffic was relatively light.
Continue reading “Breaking News on Sandridge Road”These views were taken by a drone in summer 2020.
Following the emergence of a depression or ‘hole’ not far from the centre of the Lower Field in late November 2019, Hertfordshire County Council commissioned a geophysical survey of the Field by GBG Geotechnics, Cambridge. A lengthy quite technical report on the survey was made available to FoBH and here we try to summarise its findings.
The hole was promptly surrounded by safety fencing and soon after by more fencing. The appearance of yet more fenced off areas last year led to some concern whether the whole field would be excluded to the public. We have no indication that this might be the case.
Continue reading “Ground Survey of the Lower Field by GBG Geotechnics”
You can’t fail to have noticed all the rain in October in the Bernards Heath area. It was particularly noticeable on Saturday, 3rd October when 32 mm was the highest over the UK since 1986. We measured 41 mm on that day when the southeast of England got more rain than the rest of the country.
The total for the month was 199 mm, the most that we have recorded for a single month over the last 7 years. Take a look at our records here.
After an absence of about 14 months, yet another group of travellers has come back to the Heath, Upper Field. Some of them appear to be have been here before. In spite of efforts by the Friends of Bernards Heath to get the Council to put in measures to stop this, nothing has happened, with the result that the costs of clearing up are steadily mounting and local children are denied access to their local play area (centre photo).
14.8.20: Fortunately, these travellers have moved on after after very quick action by officers, threatening bailiff removal.
A second depression or pit, close to the hedge on the northern side of the Lower field has been apparent for some time. The small size of the pit is in contrast with the relatively large area of enclosed by a new fence – perhaps there is more to this than we know. At least this fence is green and blends in with the surroundings.
For some reason the inner fence around the other depression has now been damaged in a way that must have needed some force. A JCB perhaps? See below.
