Planning consent sought for the Marlborough Mound to have a ‘haircut’

Trees and shrubs growing on the Marlborough Mound are to get a trim – once planning consent has been given.

Documents supporting the planning application to Wiltshire Council reveal the next stage in the conservation plan for the Mound – a plan that has overall approval from English Heritage.  

It will involve a major tree surgery operation – including the removal of thirteen trees (which are mainly yews of varying maturity) and shrubs – as well as work on the crowns of some other trees.

The Mound is on private land within the College grounds.  But as a scheduled monument planning permission must be sought for any changes, and consent for felling mature trees must, as with any other works whether on a scheduled monument or not, be granted.

The Mound was once believed to be Merlin’s tomb (and known as ‘Merlin’s Mount’), later it was thought to have been created so that the Norman castle could sit on it and dominate the townspeople below.  Three-and-a-half years ago, a team led by archaeologist Dr Jim Leary took sample cores from the Mound and proved it was the same age as nearby Silbury Hill.

Now nicknamed ‘Silbury’s Little Sister’, the Mound is being looked after by a trust set up under a bequest from an Old Marlburian.

The main purpose of the conservation work is to maintain the stability of the mound.  Some of these trees are so large they are unsafe and in some instances are threatening the Mound’s structure.  But none of the stumps and roots of the felled trees will be removed – so they can continue to help hold the Mound together.

Documents supporting the planning application show that one of the aims of the tree surgery is to allow room for the restoration of the spiral path that became part of the mound in the eighteenth century when Lady Hertford created a formal garden around the Mound.  This is the Mound’s ‘jelly mould’ era.

These works, the application states, form “…the next phase of tree works to follow recent conservation works to the grotto, and initial works to re-establish a stabilised surface with turf.”

NOTE: The Eastern Area Planning Committee meeting, due to be held on Thursday 8 January in Devizes has been cancelled.  This is due to a lack of items on the agenda, caused by the Christmas and New Year break.