Chestnut avenue

In the present day Llandaff Fields the most striking feature is the Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) avenue stretching from the Cathedral Road entrance to Western Avenue. The section nearest to Cathedral Road was originally planted in February 1908, when the Parks Superintendent reported, "on the 17th inst. we commenced planting the small groups of trees, & the avenue parallel with the main path at the Cathedral Road end of the Fields. The trees being used for this purpose are Japanese Larch, Corsican Pines, Ash, & Flowering Chestnuts. I hope to have the planting completed during the next ten days."^[1]

On the 1920 and 1940 Ordnance Survey maps the path from the Cathedral Road entrance is shown to be tree-lined for roughly half the distance to the junction with the path from Court Farm. The 1950 OS map shows the avenue to have been extended along the path all the way to Western Avenue. Most of the mature Chestnut trees in the section of the avenue between the old drinking fountain and Western Avenue appear to be the cultivar Aesculus hippocastanum 'Baumannii'. They have exceptionally ornamental flowers and do not produce fruit (conkers). The last tree on the west side at the Western Avenue end was a Wales Champion (one of the tallest of its kind in Wales) in 2005.

Looking north along the Chestnut avenue, May 2016

Sources of Information

1. Cardiff Parks Superintendent's Report Book(pdf) A handwritten book covering the period January 1908 to October 1912 inclusive, currently in the care of the Cardiff Council's Parks Service.