THE RUISLIP WOODS in the 19TH CENTURY by Colin Bowlt
THE RUISLIP WOODS IN THE 19 TH CENTURY by Colin Bowlt. Coppicing has been the traditional method of References in the 19th century refer to pea harvesting woodlands since, at least, and bean sticks, stakes, props, rods and mediaeval times (Fig. 1). This was repeated at poles. This is interesting since the bulk of the intervals of a few years and produced the old coppice stools today in the Ruislip Woods small wood for tools, hurdles and, in are hornbeam. Now hornbeam is not suitable particular, fuel. The other woodland product for stakes or tool handles, and it is totally was timber from trees, usually oak, which had unsuitable for hurdles. These are usually been allowed to grow for a few tens of years. made from hazel, of which there is only a This was required for the construction of small amount in the Ruislip Woods. buildings and carts. However, hornbeam makes splendid fuel It is not known for how long the Ruislip and certainly by the 19th century was Woods have been coppiced. There are supplying the London market with firewood records for timber (the big stuff) being taken (Bowlt, E. & C. 1982). from the woods in the 14th century for use at How frequently the underwood was cut such places as the Tower of London, would have depended upon rates of growth Westminster and Windsor but the earliest and size requirements. It is unlikely that it references to wood (the small stuff) seem to was strictly regular – the so-called coppice be in the Paget Survey of 1587 for the wood cycle.
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