Deep in the Low Weald, on heavy clay beside the River Beult, in a village famous for an oak.
Headcorn
The churchyard of St Peter and St Paul is home to the Headcorn Oak, or what remains of it. Badly damaged by fire in 1989, the old tree was once said to be over a thousand years old, though an expert who measured it in the 1960s put it nearer five hundred. A descendant now grows in the same churchyard.
It's a fitting emblem for the Low Weald, where oak does well on the heavy clay and turns up in almost every field boundary and garden. The River Beult runs south of the village; it's one of the few clay rivers in England to keep much of its natural plant life, and is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Clay is the constant here. It holds water through the winter and shrinks in a dry summer, so big trees close to houses need watching, and lawns can be too soft for heavy machinery for months at a time.
Permissions
Maidstone Borough Council
Headcorn is in Maidstone borough, so Maidstone Borough Council handles its preservation orders and the village conservation area. Close to the Beult there's more to think about: work beside a protected river, or near its bank, can need advice or consent from Natural England or the Environment Agency. We find out what applies before quoting.
Services in Headcorn
Reducing large oaks near houses on clay, often to a surveyor's or insurer's specification.
→Taking down dead and dying ash from field edges, gardens and lanes before it becomes too brittle to climb.
→Trimming hawthorn and blackthorn field hedges and garden boundaries outside the nesting season.
→Grinding stumps with tracked machines and ground protection, to save the lawn on soft clay.
→Clearing fallen limbs and trees from the lanes and drives around the village after wet, windy weather.
→Common here
Many Low Weald oaks are far older than the houses near them. Before any work on a veteran tree, we'll talk you through how to keep it rather than lose it.
Questions
Get a quote in Headcorn
A photo and a postcode is enough to start. We'll ring to arrange a visit.
Or call 01632 960 123