Trees of Bristol is a poetic chronicle of the byways and oddities of local tree lore. It turns a perceptive eye on our green-faced and many-limbed fellow citizens, the trees of Bristol – 'pervasive icons of our daily forest'. The capital city of the West Country is full of trees, some planted by former benefactors, some are remnants of fine gardens now vanished, others naturally seeded by insects or birds or the wind. A very beautiful species of unique-to-Bristol whitebeam clings to inaccessible crannies of the Avon Gorge. There are apple orchards in Goldney Hall, ancient yews and crocodile-skinned holm oaks in churchyards, magnificent plane trees in the Georgian squares. Bristolians live cheek-by-bark with their 'daily forest', so familiarly that its component trees can easily pass unnoticed.
The spirit of the Green Man and the old wood gods is woven through these pages. It is a celebration of the trees of Bristol as honoured acquaintances, each with a remarkable story to tell. Readers of this stimulating and sensitively photographed book will come to know and appreciate these trees as life-long friends.