On Wednesday 8th December the yew tree next to the prominent Conduit Head Memorial by Lensfield Road was reduced in accordance with the permission received from the City Council.
The Monument, opened to the public in mid-September for the first time as part of Open Cambridge this year, was the public water fountain that stood in Cambridge Market Place from the early 1600s. When he died in 1631, Thomas Hobson left land charged for the upkeep of the watercourse and funds for improvement of the working of the Conduit, which we take to mean the fountain and its operation.
The yew tree, which was probably planted in the mid 20th Century had grown to the point where it was brushing against the Listed and Scheduled Monument, contributing to the wear and tear of the Monument.
This tree work is a precursor to the major restoration of the Monument and the listed railings from the mid 19th Century that surround it.
The Trust has sought the necessary permissions, and with help and advice from local specialists Brown & Ralph and Navigate Planning in Ely, we are now proceeding towards settling the programme for a major restoration project. This will be the first work on the Monument for over fifty years, and will probably be the first time that the railings have been fully restored since their installation in 1856. It is likely that some railings will need to be removed to workshops for restoration.
Paint analysis has been conducted, and we will aim to bring the railings back to their original colour.
More details of our plans will be published here.