70 Trees for the JubileeSo, whilst on the subject of the Jubilee, let’s talk about the 70 Trees project. This joint initiative between the Brill Environment Group (BEG) and Brill Parish Council seems to be causing considerable controversy and we feel some reassurance is necessary. The project was inspired by two things: The Queen’s Green Canopy nation-wide project - and a desire to commemorate the life and work of Pete Davies, a founder member of BEG who did so much for the environment of Brill. Earlier this year, Jayne Gibson-Harris (project lead) and others carefully surveyed the village and its surrounds and identified areas that they thought would benefit from tree planting. These areas included The Walks and Brill Common. The trees suggested are all native species with great effort being made to identify the right tree for the right place. Since then Jayne and her team have been consulting as many people as possible, speaking with groups and individuals at every opportunity and carefully reading all the emails and messages sent to the Parish Council. So far, so good. We all love trees, don’t we? The ethos behind this project is to enhance the natural beauty and bio-diversity of Brill, not to dramatically change its appearance and character. This said, we need to remember that trees grow up, grow old, and eventually die. The silhouette of Brill from afar has changed quite dramatically in the last 20 years as the tall trees of The Walks have succumbed, for example. We need to plan ahead not only to preserve what we have but to protect our environment against the unforeseen challenges of climate change. This said, the Parish Council knows there is more to trees than leaves and trunks; they mark our favourite places, our precious memories, and their presence - or absence - symbolises aspects of our history and community. And so we come to Brill Common… This is what the Brillennium (pub.1999) has to say in its chapter on “old Brill”: The history of the Common [is] seen by some as the history of Brill; Brill villagers have fought for their rights many times in the past and continue to do so.
The trouble started with the disafforestation in the early 17th century; a severe blow to Brill commoners who previously had the right to graze livestock and gather firewood and the fruits of the forest. The people of Brill protested, sometimes with force, but still ended up with a relatively small common. From then until now, Brill people have fought to protect what little they were given - and have imbued in their children the need to continue this fight. Keep in mind that Brill Common includes most of the green spaces within the village and consider this episode relating to King George’s VI’s coronation in 1935: The Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire [proposed] to plant trees on The Green. Holes were dug and trees were brought […] When it was time to plant the trees, the holes were filled with Brill men who would not move - because it was THEIR common land […] The trees were never planted.
The Parish Council is not condoning slavish adherence to the past - there is a time and a place for change for the greater benefit - but we do believe is listening and understanding all points of view. Furthermore, we’re pretty sure Her Maj wouldn’t want Brill to fall out over this.
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