Location: Coldham Hall, Stanningfield, Suffolk
Weather: dry, warm(ish), clear visibility, 10C
Visiting in early March, the winter season showed off the magnificent form of the limes.
With the branches long and slender and ascending, with a narrow crown, we are identifying theses as Tilia platyphyllos, large leaved lime. However, will check in Spring when the leaves appear, as undersides of leaves of large leaved limes have hairs, unlike common lime or small leaved lime. Large leaved lime is native to UK and can live for 500 years. The bark on these limes was deeply fissured with abundant lichen, giving plenty of scope for artistic interpretations.
History of avenue: Coldham hall was built in 1574 and is Grade 1 listed. In Tudor times avenues were designed to welcome but also show status. This lime avenue still clearly serves this aesthetic function, giving an immediate sense of place and scale to the landscape.
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