Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is a garden in the village of Whipsnade in Bedfordshire, England. It is planted in the approximate form of a cathedral, with grass avenues for nave, chancel, transepts, chapels and cloisters and "walls" of different species of trees. The Tree Cathedral was planned by Edmond Blyth in the 1930s as an act of "Faith, hope and reconciliation" in response to his memories of World War I. As a cadet at Sandhurst in 1916 Blyth had made close friends called Arthur Bailey, John Bennett and Francis Holland who were all killed prior to the end
Gerald Durrell faced in this period can be found in "Fillets of Plaice". His call-up for the war came in 1943, but he was exempted from military duty on medical grounds, and asked to serve the war effort by working on a farm. After the war, Durrell joined Whipsnade Zoo as a junior or student keeper. This move fulfilled a lifelong dream: Durrell claims in "The Stationary Ark" that the first word that he could enunciate with any clarity was "zoo". "Beasts in My Belfry" recalls events of this period. Durrell left Whipsnade Zoo in May 1946 in order to join wildlife