Horse Chestnut

The Horse Chestnut, with its shiny mahogany conkers, is a broadleaved deciduous tree, that can grow to a height of 40m, and may live for 300 years.

The bark is smooth and pink-grey when young, which darkens and develops scaly plates with age. Twigs are hairless and stout, and the buds are oval, dark red, shiny and sticky.

 

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Common Name:
Horse Chestnut

Scentific Name:
Aesculus hippocastanum

Tree No:
153

Location:
J6

The leaves comprise 5–7 pointed, toothed leaflets spreading from a central stem..

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Appearing in May, individual flowers have 4–5 fringed petals, which are white with a pink flush at the base.

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Once pollinated by insects, each flower develops into a glossy red-brown conker inside a spiky green husk, which fall in autumn.

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Horse chestnut is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It was first introduced to the UK from Turkey in the late 16th century and widely planted. Though rarely found in woodland, it is a common sight in parks, gardens, streets and on village greens.

The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen for insects, particularly bees. Caterpillars of moths feed on its leaves. Deer and other mammals eat the conkers.

Its timber is of little value. Horse chestnut timber is a pale creamy-white to light brown, with a smooth, soft, fine texture. It’s not very strong and is therefore not used commercially, but its soft texture makes it ideal for carving.

The most famous use of horse chestnut is in the game of conkers. The first record of the game is from the Isle of Wight in 1848.

In both world wars the government asked children to collect conkers as a supply of starch in the manufacture of cordite, an important explosive in rifle bullets and artillery, but it was not a success.

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Braintree & Bocking Public Gardens,
43 Bocking End,
Braintree,
CM7 9AE.

Open 9:00 to 4:00pm – January, February.
Open 9:00 to 6:00pm – March.
Open 9:00 to 7:00pm – April.
Open 9:00 to 8:00pm – May, June, July, August.
Open 9:00 to 7:00pm – September.
Open 9:00 to 6:00pm – October.
Open 9:00 to 4:00pm – November December.

Note – The gates are locked at dusk.
Dusk is subject to seasonal variation, so closing times may not be exactly to the schedule, at the transitions.

No dogs allowed in the gardens.
No alcohol to be consumed in the gardens.
No riding of cycles or scooters in the gardens.

General Enquiries
Phone: 01376 773066
Email: info@braintreeandbockinggardens.co.uk

Tennis Enquiries
Phone: 01376 773070
Email: tennis@braintreeandbockinggardens.co.uk

© Braintree & Bocking Public Gardens Trust 2017-2021. All Rights Reserved.

Registered Charity Number 212989

Get in touch

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Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens

Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens

We provide, maintain and preserve these unique and beautiful gardens as a community green space.

🌞🛝🍦🌟 Little Legs Festival 2024 🌟🪅🏰🎈is retuning yet again to the gardens this June!🥰👀Wednesday 12th, and Thursday 13th and Friday 14th June, gates open at 9.30 am - 3.00 pm.👀🥰Local petting zoo Gemmas Farm will be returning with their menagerie, as well as a selection of kids performers, and interactive activities from a selection of local children’s groups. There will also be a wide selection of craft stalls and food and drinks vendors on site.Once you’re through the gate, all the entertainment is free. Tickets are £6.00, (under 1’s go free)You can purchase your tickets here: www.littlelegsfestival.com ... See MoreSee Less
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Big well done to Kathy, a visitor at our fair today, for winning our John Lewis Hamper 🧺Handed to her by Sarah our Activities & Well-being Co-ordinator. All proceeds towards the hamper will be going to Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens 🌲🌳 ... See MoreSee Less
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If a splash of your favourite tipple is your guilty pleasure during the festive season, then why not pop into the Coffee House in the Gardens. 🥂🍾You can treat yourself to a wonderful boozy hot chocolate or just a lovely glass of Prosecco. Opening hours are 10am - 2pm, Monday - Sunday. 🥂🍾 ... See MoreSee Less
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🎅🏻🎄Hopeful the Elf is in the gardens this morning, helping to sell the last few raffle tickets. So pop in to the Coffee House in the Gardens to buy a ticket and say hello.The draw will take place in the Gardens today at 11am.🎄🎅🏻Tickets are £1.00 each, with a chance to win part of £1,000.00 in cash prizes. The more you buy, the better chance you have of winning.💴 1st Prize - £200 cash 💴💴 4 X £100 cash 💴💴 8 X £50 cash 💴 Please help support the gardens, we greatly depend on our fundraising to help keep our gardens open for all.Good luck to you all. ... See MoreSee Less
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🎅🏻🎄Only eight days left to buy your Christmas Raffle tickets. 🎄🎅🏻Tickets are £1.00 each, with a chance to win part of £1,000.00 in cash prizes. The more you buy, the better chance you have of winning.💴 1st Prize - £200 cash 💴💴 4 X £100 cash 💴💴 8 X £50 cash 💴 Please help support the gardens, we greatly depend on our fundraising to help keep our gardens open for all. Tickets can be dropped off, or collected.The draw will take place in the Gardens at 11am Saturday 9th December 2023. Many thanks, and the best of luck to you all. ... See MoreSee Less
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🎅🏻🎄It’s that time of year again.…. Our Christmas Raffle tickets are on sale 🎄🎅🏻Tickets are £1.00 each, with a chance to win part of a £1000.00 in cash prizes. The more you buy, the better chance you have of wining.💴 1st prize £200 💴💴 4 X £100 💴💴 8 X £50 💴 We can drop off tickets, post them or collection is also available. If you’d like to help support the Gardens, by buying some tickets, please let us know. Many thanks, and good luck.The draw will take place in the gardens at 11am Saturday 9th December 2023. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to everyone that joined us in the gardens yesterday for the Royal British Legion Remembrance Sunday service. Once again it was a very well attended event where the local community came together and laid wreaths to honour all those who have fallen in the line of duty during conflicts involving British and Commonwealth forces.The service was led by the Revd. Richard Chand and attended by local dignitaries including The High Sheriff of Essex, Charles Bishop, BDC Chairman, Cllr Diana Garrod, as well as local groups, schools and cadets.Many thanks to all the participants and those who helped organise this event, to honour and remember the lives of all servicemen and women who gave so much and made the ultimate sacrifice for our futures. 🌺We will remember them.🌺 ... See MoreSee Less
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🌺 🌺 Information regarding The Royal British Legion, Remembrance Service 2023, in the Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens 🌺 🌺 The service will start at 2pm, in the Public Gardens - on Sunday 12th November 2023.Cadets, Scouts, Guides and all the associated groups will gather prior to this time in allocated areas at Briantree District Council offices.Please do arrive in enough time, we recommend you arrive from 1.30pm as the service is very well attended.Following the service in the gardens Members of the Royal British Legion will lead the March through Braintree Town to St Michaels Church where everyone is welcome to join them. ... See MoreSee Less
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What a fabulous video, capturing the many wonderful cars and bikes that attend the classic car show last Sunday. Thank you all for coming together as a community and helping to raise over £8,600 on the day for the gardens.We’re so pleased you all enjoyed the day, and helped make it such a huge success. 🙏🏼🥰youtu.be/yJSmD6wnMmI?si=0JuIJU0L6qlEM9GXThank you once again to Warren Woodcraft Videography & Design @WarrenWoodcraftfor the excellent video. ... See MoreSee Less
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✨One of the highlights of our Classic Car and Bike Show is presenting our Les Ely Memorial “Best in Show” cup. This years winner was Mr David Hallett from Chelmsford - with his 1961, Ford Consul 315 Classic, in stunning turquoise blue. 🏆✨David purchased the car in 1972. In 1991 he was considering selling the classic car, but decided to build a garage to store it in, as he wasn’t ready to sell it. 20yrs later he made the decision to fully restore the car. It took seven years to restore, fitting in the project around his work. Last years winners, father and son, Gary and Allen Dines, presented and passed the trophy to David.David said, “I’m very surprised, it’s been a pleasurable experience and I feel really proud of the feedback and friendliness given to me today. I thoroughly enjoy this show as it’s got such a lovely community feel and it’s more intimate than the larger shows, the gardens are a beautiful venue to hold a classic car show. You get to see some wonderful cars and bikes, and everyone is so friendly.”🏆✨ Congratulations to David Hallett! 🏆✨The cup will be engraved and returned to David, who will bring it back to us next year ready for the next years winner. ... See MoreSee Less
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We are delighted to announce that an incredible amount of money was raised at this years charity Classic Car and Bike Show 2023!!🥰Over £8,600 was raised on the day!🥰We also had a visit from BBC Essex Quest. This event couldn’t happen if it wasn’t for our organisers, volunteers, the wonderful exhibitors, local stall holders, food/Bar vendors, the lovely girls in Coffee House in the Public Gardens Double Trouble band, Lisa Day singer, face painters and of course our local community who support the event. It was another fabulous day, Thank you to everyone who attend this years show, and a huge thank you to the extremely hardworking volunteers who work so hard to make this show a continued success, and to the local businesses who donated raffle prizes.It’s not just about raising money, it’s also about seeing the gardens being filled with people and laughter.Our beautiful gardens needs as much support as you can give it, it’s a real asset to the town and must be looked after and respected for future generations. We are very lucky to have it.The gardens are a wonderful legacy from the Courtauld family and yesterday’s charity show was hopefully a fitting tribute to the late Julian Courtauld and George Canvin, whom both gave so much time and passion to raising vital funds for the beautiful Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens trust.We hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did. See you all next year!! 💪🏼🙏🏼🥰Please feel free to add your own favourite photos of the day below. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to everyone who came and supported our annual charity Classic Car and Bike Show today. Such a super day in the sunshine. We had a wonderful selection of cars and bikes. We hope you all enjoyed the day. 🥰 ... See MoreSee Less
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