Coming up:
Cobtree Arboretum in the autumn Wednesday, October 21 and Sunday, October 25, 10am-noon
An informative seasonal ramble with the ranger through the park’s rich collection of trees from around the world. Free for all the family. No need to book.
Making bird feeders and nesting boxes Wednesday, October 29, 10am-11.30am
Learn how to help the birds survive the winter months. A practical event, with participation. Free for all the family. Booking required on 07870 988128 or elizabethbuckingham@maidstone.
gov.uk Rustic Christmas decoration Monday, December 21, 10am-noon
A chance for you and your family to create your own Christmas decorations, which you can take home. £3 per person. Booking required on 03000 414793.
Today, the elephant house is all that
remains and is currently used by the active retired as part of the nation-wide men’s sheds initiative. The zoo opened to the public from
March to October for 25 years, before rising costs and the deteriorating health of Sir Tyrwhitt-Drake forced its closure in 1959, with most of the animals dispersed to other zoos. In 1980, a ‘parkland garden’ was
created at Cobtree, with nearly 600 different trees and shrubs planted in a landscape setting, some of which fell in the violent storms of 1987 and 1990, with others righted with winches and steel ropes. Today, the surviving trees form a maturing arboretum of at least 160 species. Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake and his
wife, Lady Edna, established the Cobtree Trust in 1951 to secure the future of their 300-acre estate “for the
benefit of the inhabitants of Maidstone and the surrounding neighbourhood”. The estate, which includes Cobtree Manor Park, Cobtree Golf Course, the headquarters of Kent Wildlife Trust (Tyland Barn) and the Kent Life museum, is now managed by Maidstone Council for the Cobtree Manor Estate Trust. The trust’s chairman Roger Hext said:
Forstal Road, Maidstone, Kent M20 7AG
Find it at:
“The recent improvements have made sure that the park is one of the borough’s most beautiful and popular attractions, and the new visitor centre is the finishing touch. It is a fitting tribute to the memory of Sir Garrard who I am sure would have been very proud of what has been achieved in the park and will give so much pleasure to the people of Maidstone.”
Mid Kent Living 19
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