and nature conservation (excessive tree growth
can harm this too); they often work alongside
local authorities who have overall managerial
control. In several cases, this partnership has led
to the production of high-quality interpretive
materials, both on-site and as web resources.
A fascinating cultural geography study by Cloke and
Jones (2004) regards the trees that have invaded
Arnos Vale Cemetery (Bristol) as "non-human agents,
in other words as active participants in (re)making
place." By invading the space of this classic Victorian
cemetery and others, trees actively contribute to
changing the nature of a place, even if simply driven
by genetic imperatives. This concept may, perhaps,
comes as no surprise to ecologists and arborists.
Cloke and Jones also note that the trees have played
a significant part in the way local people have
resisted development of the site. They describe
a tree survey in with each tree was mapped in
relation to paths through the cemetery, which
then contributed to the Draft Management Plan
for the site. This is turn was the basis for com-
munity "Tree Gazing Walks" that invigorated
interest in the site and its ecology (Jones, 2007).
The place of the dead can offer exceptional edu-
cational insights into life, especially through
contemplation of trees, whether deliber-
ately planted with a legacy of learning in mind,
or as invasive organisms seeking to make a
living in the realm of the deceased.
Photo 6. Holly (Ilex aquifolium) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior) taking
advantage of kerbed (curbed) grave to survive "management."
Citations
Brooks, C. (1989) Mortal
Remains: The History and
Present State of the Victorian
and Edwardian Cemetery.
Wheaton: Exeter, in association
with the Victorian Society.
Cloke, P. and Jones, O. (2004)
"Turning in the Graveyard:
Trees and the Hybrid
Geographies of Dwelling,
Monitoring, and Resistance in
a Bristol cemetery." Cultural
Geographies, 11: 313-341.
Goode, D. (2019) Nature in
Towns and Cities, Harper
Collins: London.
Jones, O. (2007) "Arnos Vale
Cemetery and the Lively
Materialities of Trees in Place,"
Garden History, 35: 149-171.
Loudon, J. C. (1843) On the Laying
Out, Planting, and Managing
of Cemeteries, Longman,
Green, Brown and Longmans:
London. Available online.
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