MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands’ iconic Cathedral trees face the chop

Three large Cupressus macrocarpa trees have become a growing cause for concern for the members of the Council of Christ Church Cathedral in Stanley, Falkland Islands and are now set to be chopped down.

The trees keep growing in size, year by year, threatening to damage the building’s windows, walls and surrounding pavements. However it’s for other, equally worrying and costly reasons that the council has made plans for their removal next week.

As a consequence of the trees’ extensive boughs and branches, the solar gain from sunlight and warmth is currently very low, leaving the inside of the Cathedral much darker and cooler than it ought to be, the Reverend Richard Hines explained.

“There are also significant problems associated with needle drop – blocked gutters, down pipes and drains, and the turkey vulture droppings on the tin roof and on the pedestrian access below.

“The trees are not getting any younger, but they are getting much taller and they are spreading in every direction. Consequently, the trees obscure from sight the central sections of one of the oldest and most iconic buildings in the Falkland Islands. Looked at from any distance one becomes aware of just how much of the building is invisible to the general public.”

And so it is that, as part of several measures to improve the overall appearance of the Cathedral, the trees, weather permitting will be removed during the week from June 22.

Following their removal, the cleared area would be developed, perhaps as some sort of a garden, and might possibly become the site of a new monument in memory of those who died while working in the British Antarctic Territories, Revd Hines said. Other improvements, together with the new sign board, already in place, will include repair of leaking gutters, repainting of iron railings and the re-staining of doors.

The Revd Hines added: “After the trees are removed, residents and visitors alike will be able to appreciate and enjoy much more of the historic Christ Church Cathedral.

“And once inside, whether to visit or to join in with a service, they should have an altogether brighter and warmer experience”. (Penguin News)