Chestnut Meadow is named after the large horse chestnut tree that grows there. It was initially rather a mystery as to how the tree got established in a meadow that was grazed by cattle every summer.

However an examination of old maps shows that up until at least the late 1930s the river meandered through this meadow and the tree was actually part of the meadow on the other side of the river. The piece of land within the meander was obviously fenced off from the rest of the field and the maps show a number of trees growing there.

When the river was straightened the meander was filled in and the piece of land incorporated into the meadow on the other side of the River. The tree was old enough and large enough to not be affected by the cattle grazing.

The faint outlines of the original course of the River can still be seen under certain conditions

Millennium Green Home Page