Flowering cherry, Queenswood Arboretum
Queenswood Coronation Fund
Queenswood Coronation Fund is an independent charity formed in 1953 to support the planting and management of the Arboretum at Queenswood, Their vision is “to provide a space in the English countryside for trees from around the world, for the peaceful enjoyment and education of all.”
Queenswood Coronation Fund Trustees, from left: James Davenport, Patrick Bourdillon, Tamsin Clive, Jerry Ross and Anthony Galliers-Pratt planting a golden rain tree at Queenswood to mark the Queen's Jubilee, 2022.
In 1953 Herefordshire’s Lord Lieutenant and the owner of Garnons Estate, Sir Richard Cotterell, launched the Queenswood Coronation Fund with a plan to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation; the public appeal raised funds to be spent on a 47-acre arboretum. The appeal was a success with numerous donations from the people of Herefordshire which allowed Sir Richard to realise part of his vision for the site and purchase many of the rare and beautiful trees that can still be enjoyed today.
Queenswood Coronation Fund is a perpetual fund and a registered charity (no. 518624) which is supported in part by the arboretum's tree adoption scheme and the money raised enables the purchase of new saplings and tree guards to protect the specimen trees etc. A small amount of this income is then returned to Herefordshire Wildlife Trust to help cover the costs of administering the adoptions and providing the oak posts and labels.
The work of Queenswood Coronation Fund received international recognition in 1981 when the arboretum received the prestigious Dendrology Award from the International Dendrology Society in recognition of the quality of the collection of trees.
The arboretum's database of specimen trees, Queenswood Treefinder, was commission by Queenswood Coronation Fund and is populated with information by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust for use by the public. It is also used as a management tool by the Trust.