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Dunstable Downs

Chiltern HillsDunstableEngvarB from September 2013Highest points of English countiesHills of Bedfordshire
National Trust properties in BedfordshireTourist attractions in Bedfordshire
Trig point, on Dunstable Downs geograph.org.uk 1440937
Trig point, on Dunstable Downs geograph.org.uk 1440937

Dunstable Downs are part of the Chiltern Hills, in southern Bedfordshire in England, located near (and named after) the town of Dunstable. They are a chalk escarpment forming the north-eastern reaches of the Chilterns. At 243 m (797 ft), Dunstable Downs are the highest point in the county of Bedfordshire.Because of its elevation, Dunstable Downs hosted a station in the shutter telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty in London to its naval ships in the port of Great Yarmouth during the years 1808 to 1814.Whipsnade Zoo has cut an enormous lion shape into the chalk on the side of one of the hills. The lion can be seen from the B489 (Aylesbury to Dunstable road). The downs are used by gliders, kite fliers, hang gliders and paragliders in the area because of their height. The London Gliding Club is based at the foot of the downs. Much of the downs is managed by the National Trust as part of the Dunstable Downs & Whipsnade Estate property.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Dunstable Downs (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Dunstable Downs
Whipsnade Road,

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.864243 ° E -0.536344 °
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Whipsnade Road

Whipsnade Road
LU6 2GY
England, United Kingdom
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Trig point, on Dunstable Downs geograph.org.uk 1440937
Trig point, on Dunstable Downs geograph.org.uk 1440937
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Whipsnade Tree Cathedral
Whipsnade Tree Cathedral

Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is a 9.5-acre (3.8 ha) 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 of the war. In 1930 he paid a visit to Liverpool Cathedral, which was then under construction. Blyth wrote: "As we drove south through the Cotswold hills on our way home... I saw the evening sun light up a coppice of trees on the side of a hill. It occurred to me then that here was something more beautiful still and the idea formed of building a cathedral with trees." Work began in 1932 and continued in stages. The site became overgrown during World War II, but development recommenced after the end of the war. The first religious service at 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.