2013

TQ5939 : Victoria Grove, Dunorlan Park

taken 11 years ago, near to Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England

Victoria Grove, Dunorlan Park
Victoria Grove, Dunorlan Park
Victoria Cross Grove

The Victoria Cross Grove commemorates ten recipients of the Victoria Cross who had connections with the borough of Tunbridge Wells. The grove of 21 oak trees was planted during the winter of 1994/5 and dedicated on the 50th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1995.
The year 2006 marked the 400th anniversary of Royal Tunbridge Wells and the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Cross. To commemorate the two anniversaries, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council specially commissioned Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate, to write a poem, and artist Charles Gurrey to create a memorial sculpture. Extracts from Andrew Motion’s poem, Remembrance, feature on the sculpture.

The Victoria Cross was instituted by Queen Victoria on 29 January 1856 as a way of recognising acts of outstanding bravery by members of the armed services. Over time, the award has been extended to include other service personnel, including members of the Commonwealth forces.
Unlike some military awards, the Victoria Cross has always been open to all ranks. When awards are considered ‘neither rank, nor long service, nor wounds, nor any other circumstance or condition whatsoever, save the merit of conspicuous bravery’ are taken into account. Queen Victoria chose the design for the award and approved the wording ‘for valour’ on the front of the medal, beneath the royal crest. The Victoria Cross medals are made of bronze and are still cast from the metal melted down from cannons captured at Sebastopol during the Crimean War. The Victoria Cross takes precedence over all other Orders and medals.

Dunorlan Park

Dunorlan Park was once the private grounds of a large and very grand mansion owned by the Yorkshire born millionaire, Henry Reed.
The garden was laid out in the 1850s and 1860s by the renowned Victorian gardener Robert Marnock. Although the mansion no longer exists, the garden is one of the best preserved examples of Marnock's work. James Pulham also contributed to the park and many of the features are made from Pulhamite.
Dunorlan Park is now an historically important (Grade II listed LinkExternal link ) and much loved public park. The Heritage Lottery Fund award of £2.1 million has enabled the restoration of Dunorlan's historic features and improved access into and around the park.
The park contains a number of amenities including a cafe, boating lake, putting green, car parks, toilets, as well as rolling Wealden countryside. For a map see LinkExternal link

English Oaks

Quercus robur is commonly known as the English oak or pedunculate oak. It is native to most of Europe.
Wikipedia: LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright N Chadwick and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Woodland, Forest Defence, Military
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Dunorlan Park [107] · Victoria Grove [40] Title Clusters: · Victoria Grove, Dunorlan Park [3] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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TQ5939, 748 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
N Chadwick   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Saturday, 8 June, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 23 October, 2013
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 5958 3913 [10m precision]
WGS84: 51:7.7533N 0:16.7536E
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 5959 3916
View Direction
South-southwest (about 202 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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