The Old Oak at Warren Road...

The old Oak on Warren Road...

The ruined oak at the side of Warren Road is a familiar sight. The young tree growing from its remains isn't a happy accident of nature, it seems: it appears that at least half-a-dozen people claim that their dad or grandad planted it. One family even screwed a plastic plaque to the poor tree proclaiming their ownership of that claim, but that was fortunately soon taken down.

"Beating the Bounds"(?), c.1959...

The old tree is featured in the rather wonderful photo above, which shows a victim of the curious custom of "beating the bounds" beating "beaten" against what appears to be a marker stone of some description.  Even back then, it can be seen that the tree was in a rather ruinous condition.

The marker stone is no longer there but I think it would not have been a Cuxton parish boundary stone as it is too far west.  The "official perambulations" of Cuxton were held in 1957 and 1966, so perhaps this event is a boundary beating exercise by a Cobham or Luddesdown team. Certainly the old oak is right on the Cobham/Luddesdown parish boundary.

Whatever those guys were up to, it looks like they were having fun, anyway...