Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs is a 73.4 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest in Dunstable in Bedfordshire. It was notified in 1987 under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the local planning authority is Central Bedfordshire Council. It is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and part of it is owned by the National Trust. Dunstable Downs is the highest point in the east of England, and it has five thousand year old burial mounds and a medieval rabbit warren. The site is a 3 kilometre long steep escarpment between
Whipsnade Tree Cathedral the site was held in 1953, and services continue to this day. In 1960 the Tree Cathedral was accepted as a gift by the National Trust. The independent Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Fund is responsible for the religious use of the site. Services have been conducted by many different denominations. It is Grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The Tree Cathedral contains chapels meant for each of the four seasons. The cathedral incorporates the following trees. The site also includes a number of notable shrubs including Berberis, Cotoneaster, Dogwood, Flowering Currant, Holly, Hazel, Lilac, Laurustinus, Laurel,