Blagdon Lake

• Bristol BS40 7UL
• Car park facility available
• There are currently no new memorials available at this location. You can still add to an existing memorial.

Opened on 15th September 2005 in conjunction with the nearby site at Chew Valley Lake and located just outside the village of Blagdon. This beautiful memorial forest is found right next to the Bristol Water Works Visitor Centre and looks across the Blagdon Reservoir.

Originally a reservoir, which was filled in 1903 by damming of the Congresbury Yeo. This idyllic setting is a haven for wildlife of many varieties and the now maturing memorial trees add to the patch work of habitats in the area. Due to the ground flora and fauna the grass is only cut once a year and visitors are reminded that a sturdy pair of boots will be required to walk through the long grass and wildflowers which include Orchids, Oxeye daisy's, Yellow Rattle and Birdsfoot Trefoil.

This land along with other similar areas of outstanding beauty has been kindly donated to the Life for a Life by Bristol Water enabling the charity to make donations to Bristol children's hospice totalling 13,700 to date.

Life for a Life planting areas are natural environments where we encourage wildlife and plantlife to flourish, as such additional items should not be added to the tree or the space around it, especially as they can cause damage to the tree.Please be aware that any prohibited items left on or around memorial trees will be removed.

Although this site is now full to the planting of new memorial trees, if you have an existing memorial tree dedicated you can still upgrade memorial plaques, add additional ashes to a memorial tree, order memorial keepsakes etc.

What happens in the future?

Now that this memorial forest is closed to new tree planting you will see slight changes in the way we manage the site. The aim is to create a forest that will mature over time and become a local amenity for both visitors and wildlife. Therefore, the management regime will move to one which is more sympathetic to the environment. In practical terms, this will mean a gradual reduction in grass cutting as the tree canopy closes to help promote a richer diversity of wildflowers and other ground flora.

All the memorial trees are guaranteed for 25 years and any tree which has unfortunately not established itself successfully will be replaced from a selected mixture of 'understory' species consisting of either Hazel, Hawthorn or Holly that will help diversify the woodland creating an even better home for nature.

Furthermore, as the memorial trees grow they will be 'crown-lifted' which involves removing the lower limbs of the trees to help maintain access as the trees continue to mature and allow air and light to pass through. Eventually, the plaque in front of the trees will be removed as the site transitions from a formalised memorial woodland into the memorial forest we all want it to become. At this point a new sign will be erected that will let people know how the forest was established and what the trees represent.