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Stoke Lodge and Stoke Lodge Parkland / Playing Fields
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Overview

Stoke Lodge is a grade two listed house set within 26 acres of land in Stoke Bishop in Northwest Bristol (Shirehampton Rd, BS9 1BN). The estate was in notable private ownership until 1947 when it was bought by what is now Bristol City Council. Thoughts of making it an orphanage through to proposals to build a school on the land never came to anything and today the house is an adult education centre.

Early History

The house was built in 1836 by William Munro of Druid Stoke House - he could presumably have watched the progress of his building project across the fields from his house. It was built in the Elizabethan style, with dining, drawing and morning rooms, a housekeeper's room or study, china pantry and spacious kitchens above arched cellars. It had eight bedrooms, two dressing rooms, water closets and piped water.

The first purchaser, Thomas Bowman, lived there for only a few years, then advertising the house for sale as a 'substantial, elegant and commodious freehold residence... with lawns, gardens, orchard and land surrounding the same, containing in the whole 33 acres... fitted up with every attention to the comfort and convenience of a Gentleman's family'. The outbuildings comprised a coach house, stabling for four horses, harness room with servants' bedroom over, wood house, etc. The gardens and orchard were described as being 'in the first order, and are stocked with Standard and Wall Fruit Trees of the choicest kinds in full bearing'; the land 'is in the highest state of cultivation and on it are all requisite Farm Buildings'.

The 1849 sale advert in the Bristol Times and Mirror read: 'To persons resident in the neighbourhood of Clifton, the situation of Stoke Lodge, and its peculiar beauties, need no commendation; but strangers who have only heard generally of the exquisite Scenery between Clifton, Durdham Down, and the mouth of the Avon, can form but a faint idea of the charms of this most desirable Property.'

The Pope Family: Kerry cows and threats to the Downs

Stoke Lodge was next owned by a solicitor, George Pope, who is recorded on the 1851 census living there with his wife, children Sarah, Louisa and John and four servants. George seems to have been upwardly mobile and by 1861, he is recorded as a 'Landed Proprietor' with a cook, parlourmaid and housemaid living in, but also three families in the recently-built Lodge cottages: these were a coachman and his wife; a 'Labouring Gardener' with his wife and five children; and the gardener and his wife and two children: altogether 21 people living and working on the Stoke Lodge estate. George Pope seems to have been particularly exercised by threats to public access to the Downs, writing to the Western Daily Press in March 1862 that: 'it is of the first importance that downs and commons should remain altogether open for the recreations of the great majority of the citizens, whose games and amusements are most largely promoted and encouraged by open, undivided spaces of turf in a pure and invigorating air. This is most essentially needful for the old city of Bristol, with its dirty courts and alleys, its increasing multitudes, and with the threatened prospect of closed squares, etc...'

Closer to home, Stoke Lodge maintained livestock including a herd of Kerry cows and also prizewinning poultry: John Pope won first prize for the best drake and duck at the Bath & West of England Show in 1872. Various flowers and produce were grown and sold - an advert in November 1869 offers two dozen specimen pelargoniums of leading varieties; another, dated 30 December 1865, offers 'ten tons of capital swedes, topped and cleaned for immediate use' at 21 shillings a ton.

By 1871, George had retired; Sarah died in 1878 and George in 1888. Later that year his older son George (who was presumably away at school at the time of the 1851 census) became High Sheriff of Bristol, having been, as Treasurer of the Merchant Venturers, 'more closely associated than anyone else' with the 'erection of the splendid schools in Unity Street, which are the theme of world-wide admiration, and with the planning of the girls' school which is in course of erection in Cheltenham Road' (Bristol Mercury, 13 October 1888).

The Budgett Family - Jersey cows and politics

The next owner following George Pope's death in 1888 was merchant William Budgett, with his new wife Georgiana and daughter Evelyn and five live-in servants. William's family had made their money in the wholesale grocery business, and William seems to have brought his interests home with him:

'Mr Budgett first commenced to acquire Jersey cattle some ten years ago, when finding that there was a large demand in the neighbourhood of Stoke Bishop for the best dairy products... The beautiful neighbourhood of Stoke Bishop and Clifton Down being very populous, this dairy soon obtained a great local reputation, and a demand arose, not alone for the butter, but for the cows that produced it, and some of these were therefore occasionally sold. The herd having now increased beyond the capabilities of the farm... they were met to conduct the sale of a herd of animals which had been a source of ornament and usefulness to that neighbourhood.' Western Daily Press, 10 June 1892 William was elected to Gloucester County Council in 1895, having advertised his platform as being: - against the expansion of Bristol (Stoke Bishop was at this stage outside the boundaries of the city); - in favour of keeping expenses low, having due regard for the efficient administration of affairs, and - against party politics entering into Council business.

Under his ownership, the house was extended and a drive built across the estate, emerging on Ebenezer Lane next to the Lodge cottages. In hot weather you can easily see the line of the driveway across the grass; it is also slightly raised to keep the wheels of horse-drawn carriages out of any mud.

William's wife Georgiana would go on to play a vital role on the home front during the First World War, as founder and secretary of the Bristol branch of the Red Cross. It is reported that in 1915/16 she was shown a letter from a Bristol soldier held prisoner in a German POW camp, telling of terrible conditions and lack of food. She started a fund to send food and clothing to Bristol and Gloucestershire captives in German POW camps - the invention of the Red Cross Parcel.

The James Family - a Bristol tobacco connection

From 1897 Stoke Lodge was occupied by Edward James, his wife Mabel and sons Burnet and Gilbert. Edward appears to have married into the role of tobacco manufacturer, having been born into a brewing family and then married Mabel, daughter of Sir George Edwards, and risen to become managing director of Edwards, Ringer and Bigg Ltd. This was one of thirteen companies that merged in December 1901 to form the Imperial Tobacco Company, alongside another much larger Bristol tobacco company, WD and HO Wills.

Edward James was Master of the Merchant Venturers in 1895/6, and was a councillor and alderman before holding the offices of High Sheriff in 1900 and of Lord Mayor twice, in 1904/5 and again in 1907/8. He was knighted on 9th July 1908 during the royal visit to open the Royal Edward Dock.

Clearly, the James family was expected to play a very public role in the life of the city. Stoke Lodge was used for entertaining as well as public charitable events, setting a course that would continue with future owners.

In 1901 one hundred soldiers from the Bristol Crimea and Indian Mutiny Veterans' Association were entertained to a 'sumptuous tea' at the Lodge and 'indulged in a number of outdoor amusements, the Formidable band discoursing popular music'. In November 1900 adverts in the local press announced that Mrs James was 'at home' to receive guests during Advent week and on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.

The 1901 census records the support required by the family (three members were present for the census; Burnet was a boarder at Charterhouse school) - in the house itself, there was a cook, parlourmaid, housemaid, children's maid and footman; one of the Lodge cottages housed a coachman, William Smith, with his wife Agnes and two children (William and Agnes!) plus a groom who boarded with them. The other cottage housed the gardener, James Clark, with his wife Mary and two children Elsie and Ethel.

The James family moved up Stoke Hill to Springfort in 1906 and, perhaps to mark the occasion, presented a new brass altar rail 'beautiful in design and workmanship' to St Mary's church. The rail was dedicated on Easter Sunday. The older son, Burnet, was an airman in World War I; he is among the fallen of Stoke Bishop named on the Memorial Cross.

The Fry Family - our local chocolate connection

By autumn 1906 Claude Basil Fry, grandson of the famous Fry's chocolate family, was living in Stoke Lodge with his wife Marion, daughter Helen and new baby son Maurice (whose birth was announced on 12 September from the Lodge). Fry’s chocolate company had become the largest commercial producer of chocolate in the UK, with products including Fry’s Chocolate Cream, Fry’s Turkish Delight and the invention of the Easter egg in 1873. Fry's was registered as a company in July 1912 as J. S. Fry & Sons (Africa) Limited, with Claude Basil Fry as one of the first directors. In 1919 J S Fry & Sons merged with Cadburys.

At this stage, Stoke Lodge housed the Fry family of four plus six servants: a cook, kitchen maid, parlour maid, house maid, nurse and under-nurse. In the Lodge cottages were Peter Painter, the chauffeur, and his wife Emma; and the gardener Herbert Chard, with his wife Annie and two children, Herbert and Frances.

Claude Fry was the Master of the Merchant Venturers, so the Stoke Lodge estate still played host to significant city events. On 15 April 1920, Field Marshal Haig, commander of British Forces on the Western Front in WWI, visited Bristol and received an honorary degree and the freedom of the City. It was evidently quite an occasion and the Western Daily Press reports that Earl Haig took time to meet and speak in support of the welfare of ex-servicemen. Along with other festivities and celebrations Lord and Lady Haig were hosted to dinner by the Merchant Venturers; they then stayed overnight at Stoke Lodge. The following day 'the eminent soldier greatly pleased the children by visiting Stoke Bishop school'.

The Butlin Sisters

The Fry family eventually moved further up Stoke Hill to Howecroft and the Misses Butlin (Annie, Mary and Emily) took up residence in January 1923. They had previously lived at The Grange, Saville Road, and seem to have left following the death of their father a few years previously. The sisters were soon advertising for a 'good plain cook, not under 35', as well as a housemaid (not under 30), with a note that a between maid was also kept. The oddly specific age requirements varied over time - by June 1944 the Misses Butlin required that their cook be at least 41 years old. The estate no longer seems to have been used for livestock, but an advert in June 1923 offers for sale by auction about 16 acres of grass in three lots, plus about 3 acres of winter oats.

The Butlin sisters enjoyed a high profile role in Bristol society events, from opening a chrysanthemum bazaar to hosting garden parties for the Stoke Bishop Women's Unionist Association and the National Laymen's Missionary movement, as well as 'at home' events to give friends the opportunity to meet visiting notables including the Lord Bishop of Gibraltar, and sales of work in aid of the Bristol and Clifton Biblewomen's Mission.

'By the kindness of Miss Butlin the garden party for schoolboys, arranged by the Bristol branch of the National Laymen's Missionary movement, was held on Saturday last at Stoke Lodge. In spite of the inclement weather between 40 and 50 boys from the larger schools in Bristol were present. Exhibits illustrating the mode of life and religion of the peoples of China, India, Tibet, Labrador and the South Seas were shown.' Western Daily Press, 24 June 1924

The 1921-43 OS Map shows the north west corner of the field marked as a cricket ground, and it is said that the Misses Butlin would watch the local teams playing on the field, from the shelter of the belvedere - even at this early stage and in an era when it was surrounded by other open land, Stoke Lodge was already a venue for community sports.

Miss Annie Butlin died on 28 July 1940; following the death of Mary Elizabeth Butlin on 7 May 1946, Emily Gertrude, the last of the sisters, sold up. The sisters' effects were auctioned, including pictures, carpets, silver, plate, china, glass, clocks, a boudoir grand piano and a 22 HP Rolls Royce Drophead Foursome Coupe.

Stoke Lodge in times of war World War I

The Fry family was in residence at Stoke Lodge during WWI, but it's possible that the effects of that war were still being felt in the 1930s, during the time of the Misses Butlin. Tragedy struck in September 1933 when estate gardener Frederick Reed (56), drowned in a water-butt at his home, one of the Stoke Lodge cottages, as a result of what to modern ears sounds like shell shock or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Reed had been a prisoner of war for three and a half years and had suffered serious abdominal wounds; in around 1924 he had a memory lapse and went missing for eight days. In September 1933 he went missing for two days before apparently returning and being discovered next day by another gardener with his head and shoulders in the water tank; a verdict of 'suicide while of unsound mind' was recorded. Mr Reed was a member of the British Legion and left a widow and three sons.

World War II

During WWII, three Nissen huts were placed at the eastern edge of Stoke Lodge (these are still visible on the 1946 aerial photo on https://maps.bristol.gov.uk/knowyourplace/).

These seem to have been used as recreation huts (and possibly living quarters?) for American troops either passing through Bristol to camps elsewhere or having a period of rest from the front. Due to reporting restrictions, the newspaper archives are fairly thin on detail, but there were regular appeals for gifts of home comforts - gramophones, records, wireless sets, games, books, mouth organs, a piano, playing cards, dart boards, table tennis bats and balls - and more fundamental things like floor coverings, soap and warm clothing, to make recreation huts like these more welcoming.

Many soldiers were billeted in homes in Sea Mills and Stoke Bishop, particularly in the run-up to D-Day in 1944 when local barracks were already full of troops. Billets were for sleeping only; during the day the soldiers would be training (perhaps in the grounds of Stoke Lodge?) or working - particularly moving military supplies at the docks at Avonmouth and loading ships for the D-Day landings.

Pitch & Pay House was used as HQ for the 519th Port Battalion. 'The Holmes' (now within the Botanic Gardens) was commandeered in 1943 by the US Army; General Omar Bradley of the US 12th Army Group stayed there from 1944 together with staff officers and aides, and from there he planned his troops' role in the D-Day assault on the Normandy beaches.

Ten months after D-Day, the Western Daily Press of 4 April 1945 said of the US troops: 'They are lads who in the time of great pressure, when the multitude of fighting men were training in and around our city, were billeted in Bristol homes. They became almost members of the family and being lucky in the draw for leave, what more natural than that they should be welcomed back by the folk who got to know them so well and are happy in seeing them again. A typical example is Ronnie - who had a long stay at a nice home at Stoke Bishop. There was sorrow when the call came in the middle of the night and all the Americans in the neighbourhood lined up on Stoke Hill to be picked up and taken away for the D-Day adventure. There was joy when Ronnie came back on leave; there will be greater joy when all the Ronnies, not only in Bristol but in other towns, come back as weary war veterans when hostilities in Europe are over, for rest prior to going home...'

The Sale to Bristol City Council

Western Daily Press, 10 October 1947: 'Stoke Lodge Estate, Druid Stoke, an estate of about 22 acres which represents the biggest single area in Stoke Bishop not yet covered by houses, has been purchased by the Bristol City Council for over £25,000... The Mansion has been in the occupation of the Misses Butlin for many years... A feature of the property has been the lovely cedars and other trees which must have given pleasure to very many passers-by. It is to be hoped that a number of these can be retained in the Education Committee's proposals.'

The Council's plans varied over the next few years; there were thoughts of making Stoke Lodge a refuge for children above nursery age who were 'deprived of a normal home life', pending a decision as to their future. Ultimately it became a nursery nurses' training college and then an adult education centre; the grounds were initially designated partly for temporary housing and health use (at one stage there was a proposal to build a health centre on the south-east corner) but through negotiations between Council departments it was ultimately agreed that the land should be laid out as playing fields.

In fact, by September 1947 the long association of local community sports clubs with Stoke Lodge had begun, with Westbury Harriers moving their headquarters to the grounds and holding cross-country events and ladies' hockey matches in late 1947. Four or five pitches were prepared in April 1948 as part of a national effort to make more playing fields available for community use; by June 1948 inter-county athletics matches were being held at Stoke Lodge as well as local rugby, football and cricket matches. Barton Hill Old Boys RFC restarted after the war in 1946, moving to Stoke Lodge from Eastville Park; the club used one of the wartime Nissen huts as a changing room, and was based at Stoke Lodge until 1958. Local authority schools - Fairfield up to 2000, then Cotham - used the pitches for school sports.

On a less serious note, the Bristol Co-operative Society held their first sports festival at Stoke Lodge in June 1949, with teams from London, Newcastle and Cardiff taking part in events from distance running, walking and relay races to egg and spoon, skipping and sack races - not forgetting obstacle races and the classic slow bicycle race, with an interdepartmental tug o' war which we are told was won by the Furnishing Department.

It wasn't all about sports, though - a wide variety of groups used Stoke Lodge for different purposes. Westbury Baptist Church held annual garden fetes at Stoke Lodge (in 1950 the programme included 'the crowning of the Rose Queen, a Punch and Judy show, concert, a comical cricket match, sideshows and pony rides'); in that year Stoke Lodge also played host to the Bristol County Scout and Rover Scout sports championships, with twelve districts competing. A political fete in July 1949 spurred a complaint to the Western Daily Press from a nearby resident about 'the noise, the singing and lastly the political speech, well amplified by loudspeakers... there was no alternative but to listen or being driven from our homes'. No such complaints were recorded about sports at Stoke Lodge!

Stoke Lodge was listed (Grade II) in June 1994 and is designated by the Council as Important Open Space. In 2004 when the Council was considering alternative sites for a new school, one of the reasons for choosing Redland playing fields rather than Stoke Lodge was that 'While both sites accommodate grass playing pitches that are used as detached playing fields by local schools... Stoke Lodge is far more enclosed than Redland playing fields because of the strong boundary that is formed by extensive trees and shrubbery... The Stoke Lodge site is characterised by its gentle topography, high level of enclosure, views into and out of the site and the parkland trees within the site... Stoke Lodge has a higher visual amenity due to the wide variety of trees that are in excellent condition spread throughout the site and as such represents parkland.'

The Trees at Stoke Lodge

Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani

This is a species of cedar native to the mountains of the Eastern Mediterranean basin. It is an evergreen conifer that can reach 40 m (130 ft) in height. It is the national emblem of Lebanon (and appears on the Lebanese flag). Cedar was thought to represent purification and protection, and represents incorruptibility and eternal life. In the UK, cedar was planted in nearly every stately home and mansion from the 1740s onwards, but is not commonly planted today. The Stoke Lodge cedars were planted in 1864 - the largest (which reached the end of its life in 2016 so now has a wonderful set of animals carved into it, including owls, foxes, mice, a buzzard, and honeycomb) has a girth of 605cm. The cedar near the house is slightly slimmer, at 580cm. Today cedar is used for its hard, durable wood, which retains a sweet fragrance for many years. An oil similar to turpentine can be obtained from the wood.

Turkey Oak Quercus cerris

This is a type of oak native to south-eastern Europe and Asia Minor, which was introduced to the UK as an ornamental tree in the 18th century and can grow to a height and spread of 30m. The bark is dark grey; on older trees the trunk fissures are often streaked with orange near the base. The leaves are rough and thick, shiny above but felted underneath. Its acorns can be distinguished from native oaks by its 'hairy' acorn cups, which look as though they are covered in a dense coating of moss. Turkey oak is mainly used as an ornamental tree, though it is less widely planted now, due to the damage its gall wasp can cause to native oak acorns. In 1998, the Ministry of Defence ordered the felling of all Turkey Oaks on its UK bases. The Stoke Lodge Turkey Oaks in the middle of the upper and lower fields are estimated to be over 200 years old.

Lucombe Oak Quercus xhispanica ‘Lucombeana’

The Lucombe Oak is a cross between a Turkey Oak and a Cork Oak. It was first raised by an Exeter nurseryman, William Lucombe, in 1762. It is unusual in the fact that it keeps its leaves over winter. The largest Lucombe Oak in the world was in Phear Park in Devon and had a girth of almost 8 metres. Unfortunately in February 2009, the 200-year-old tree blew down. The current Champion Lucombe Oak is in the gardens of Powis Castle, Wales. The largest of the Stoke Lodge Lucombe Oaks is in the arboretum, and has a girth of 481cm. The story goes that William Lucombe was so attached to his special oak that he felled the original specimen to provide wood for his own coffin and kept the boards under his bed until he died. However, he lived an exceptionally long life, dying at the age of 102 years, by which time the planks had decayed in the Devon damp. An article from Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, commented that this 'showed that Lucombe knew more about growing trees than preserving them'. On his death timber from one of his early propagations was used to make his coffin instead.

English Oak (Common or Pedunculate Oak) Quercus robur

The English oak has assumed the status of a national emblem of strength and survival. As common oaks mature they form a broad and spreading crown with sturdy branches beneath. Their open canopy enables light to penetrate through to the woodland floor, allowing bluebells and primroses to grow below. Their smooth and silvery brown bark becomes rugged and deeply fissured with age. Oak tree growth is particularly rapid in youth but gradually slows at around 120 years. Oaks even shorten with age in order to extend their lifespan. Most acorns will never get the chance to germinate because they are a rich food source, eaten by many wild creatures including jays, mice and squirrels, badgers and deer. Oaks have played an important part in our culture – couples were wed under ancient oaks in Oliver Cromwell’s time, the festive Yule Log was traditionally cut from oak, it features on the 1987 pound coin and is the inspiration for the emblem of many environmentally focused organisations, including the Woodland Trust. Oaks produce one of the hardest and most durable timbers on the planet - even its Latin name, Quercus robur, means strength. It has been a prized hardwood timber for thousands of years, was the primary ship building material until the mid-19th century and remains a popular wood for architectural beams. However, it takes up to 150 years before an oak is ready to use in construction.

Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii

The Douglas fir gets its Latin name from Archibald Menzies, a Scottish physician and naturalist and was introduced to the UK in 1827 by Scottish botanist David Douglas. It is native to western North America and is uncommon in the UK, and does not generally grow well - but the Stoke Lodge specimen is listed as a champion, and has a girth of 240cm. Douglas firs can grow to 55m and live for more than 1000 years. Douglas fir bark is non-flammable. This protects the tree from fires in its native range. Because the trees are so long-lived, they provide deadwood cavities, in which birds and bats can shelter. Being tall, they also make suitable nesting sites for larger birds of prey, such as buzzards, sparrowhawks and hobbies. The spruce carpet and dwarf pug moths feed on the leaves, while the seeds are eaten by finches and small mammals. In Scotland, Douglas fir forests provide habitats for the red squirrel and pine marten.

Deodar (Himalayan) Cedar Cedrus deodara

The Deodar Cedar is an evergreen conifer tree that was introduced from the Himalayas back in 1831 and was favoured for planting in the grounds of many large country houses and Georgian rectories due to its extensive ultimate size and weeping habit. It is often used as a specimen tree in parks and other large gardens. The Deodar is the national tree of Pakistan and it is worshipped as a divine tree by Hindus. Cedar trees have also played a central role in aromatics from ancient times to the present. From ancient Egypt, to India, Tibet, the Mediterranean, and North America, the cedar tree has been respected and revered. The Stoke Lodge Deodar Cedar was planted in 1864 and has attained its natural mature shape.

Copper/purple beech Fagus sylvatica 'purpurea'

Copper beeches are large deciduous trees grown for their deep purple leaves, which become reddishin autumn. In Spring the newly opened leaves have still fully to develop the 'copper' pigments that mask the normal green colour of beech trees. Both male and female flowers grow on the same tree, in April and May. The tassel-like male catkins hang from long stalks at the end of twigs, while female flowers grow in pairs, surrounded by a cup. This cup becomes woody once pollinated, and encloses one or two reddish brown beech nuts. Good seed (nut) crops - called 'masts' only occur every four or five years.The wood burns well and was traditionally used to smoke herring. The edible nuts, or masts, were once used to feed pigs, and in France they are still sometimes roasted and used as a coffee substitute.

Black Mulberry Morus nigra

The black mulberry was originally brought to Britain by the Romans. The berries perish soon after being picked, so could not be imported. The Elizabethan nobility prized the shade and fruit of the black mulberry, often as one-upmanship. If you wanted to impress your peers with exotic mulberries on the table, you had to grow them yourself.The trees were later widely imported and planted by James I in the hope of establishing a silk industry. He had a four-acre mulberry garden planted in an area to the north of present-day Buckingham Palace, tended by the King’s Mulberry Men. There is still a street called Mulberry Walk, just off the King’s Road, Chelsea.Ten thousand trees were imported from all over Europe, and the king required landowners 'to purchase and plant mulberry trees at the rate of six shillings per thousand'. However, there was a flaw in the plan: silk worms feed only or mainly on the white mulberry. As a result of this mistake, a legacy of old black mulberry trees remains in historic landscapes and gardens throughout Britain.It has been suggested that the children's song 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush' may have its origins in Wakefield Prison. According to historian R. S. Duncan, a former governor, the song originated with that 420-year-old institution’s female prisoners, as they walked around a mulberry tree that grew in the centre of the prison exercise yard. The black mulberry has very bright green leaves that are heart shaped with a serrated looking edge. The bark is gnarly, giving even younger trees an old and historic appearance. The fruits emerge throughout the summer time, ripening towards the end of this period to be deep purple in colour. The fruit is rarely found in supermarkets.

English Walnut (Common or Persian walnut) Juglans regia

Walnut trees were (unsurprisingly) originally grown for their nuts and were introduced to the UK by the Romans for that purpose. The Roman god Jupiter (also known as Jove) was said to have lived on walnuts when he lived on earth and Romans called walnuts Jovis glans. The botanical name of the English walnut, Juglans regia, means the ‘royal nut of Jupiter’.The ancient Greeks and Romans had walnut orchards, and it has been widely cultivated in Northern Europe since 1500. Its timber became a favourite for quality furniture from 1600 until it was replaced by mahogany. The English walnut does not grow wild in Britain but new trees often grow from seeds planted by squirrels. The largest walnut at Stoke Lodge (in the arboretum) is estimated to be around 160 years old and has a girth of around 364cm. There are several others close by - whether planted by squirrels or humans - and another on the other side of the house.

Recent History and Related Controversy

In 2009 a major development was proposed to include changing facilities, pitch improvements and fencing off the land. A large number of the local community raised concerns resulting in a public inquiry. In September 2010 the council's Executive Member gave assurances that the proposal to fence Stoke Lodge had categorically been dropped and that the parkland would remain with open access for all "as of right.”

In March 2011 Save Stoke Lodge Parkland (https://www.stokelodgetvg.co.uk/about-us/) applied for Town or Village Green Status for the parkland. In August 2011 the council let the land for 125 years to Cotham Academy for a peppercorn rent. The lease being subject to ”all existing rights and use of the Property including use by the community”.

In 2016 the council granted Town or Village Green status which was then challenged by the council, Cotham Academy and the University (who 'sublet' from Cotham). A high court judge has recently (May 2018) requested the committee review their decision to grant TVG status due to the process undertaken by the council - not the merits of the application itself. On 25th June 2018 Bristol City Council refused the application for Stoke Lodge to be a Town or Village Green in a hung vote with the chair casting his vote in the school's favour. However a revised TVG Application was subsequently submitted on 14th September 2018.

On 15th May 2018, owing to the growing strength of feeling in the community, the We 💚 Stoke Lodge Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/220108435249876/) was set up to support maintaining public access and use of the land at Stoke Lodge.

On 25th May 2018 Cotham School published plans to erect a 2m high black mesh fence around the perimeter of their leased land, stating they can do so under permitted development. In July 2018 the council advised the school they must apply for planning permission for a fence...they are yet to do so.

On 22nd June 2018 Bristol City Council refused a planning application made by Cotham School for an 80 person changing facility due to the lack of a transport plan. The school refused requests to discuss a plan for transport on three occasions. This was the 2nd application that has been rejected for the same reasons. The community welcome a new application that is in keeping the setting of a beautiful Grade II listed site and has a viable transport plan.

On 24th July 2018 Cotham School removed some very old signs and erected three new signs at Stoke Lodge without consent, planning or consultation with the community or the landowner, Bristol City Council. An enforcement case was opened by the council and their initial response is that two of the three signs are allowed under ‘deemed consent’. Many members of the community do not agree with their interpretation or definition and communications with the council continue in this regard.