AFTER THE GREAT STORM

It devastated the South East and brought many of the county’s trees down in one fell swoop.

Three decades on, the effects endure in the landscapes – and memories – of places caught up in the eye of the Great Storm. Between 2am and 6am on October 16, 1987, winds reaching up to 110mph ripped across the South East, devastating homes, woods and gardens in its path. For the National Trust, it meant the loss of hundreds of thousands of trees across 3,000 acres of land. Rangers and gardeners who witnessed the devastation firsthand found it hard to bear.

“It was a battle zone” remembered gardener Alan Comb. He started work at Emmetts Garden, near Sevenoaks, a week after the plantsman’s paradise lost 95% of its woodland.

“There were trees sticking up like totem poles,” he said. To mark such a monumental moment in the trust’s history, Remembering the Storm will be staged at Scotney Castle near Lamberhurst throughout this month.

Scotney lost sweet chestnuts up to 500 years old in the storm, with some falling very close to the house.

As part of the event, new displays in the garden will compare the extensive damage with today’s views. Oral interviews and notes from the archive will bring to life the experiences of local people. As well as remembering the Great Storm, the trust is also using the anniversary as an opportunity to assess its work in woodland and with nature. The exhibition runs throughout this month and is open from 10am and 5pm.

Normal admission costs apply. For details go to nationaltrust. org.uk/scotney-castle

Picture: National Trust, Mike Howarth Scotney Castle taken in 2007, 20 years after the Great Storm

NOW The devastation and the re-growth at Knole Park, above left and at Chartwell, above right

1987

1987

NOW