Since 1972, when the current Marquis of Lansdowne took over the custodianship of Bowood, over 2 million trees have been planted. This means that the woodlands of Bowood sequester roughly the equivalent to 1,500 tonnes of carbon per year, enough to offset the carbon footprint of 300 households.
The Lansdowne family’s passion for tree planting is a longstanding tradition. In 1768, the 2nd Earl of Shelburne (later 1st Marquess of Lansdowne) bought a variety of tree species as seeds from London-based seedsmen, Ferne and Thatcher, to enhance the recently landscaped Capability Brown park. As you can see in this receipt from the Bowood House archive, it included bushells of Spanish Chestnut for 1 pound and Cedar of Lebanon cones at a shilling each (equivalent of £6.50 today).
