Reviving the stones

As featured in The Hovarian magazine, October 2026.

There are three commemorative stone plaques in Three Cornered Copse. The oldest commemorates the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11 in 1953; the second is for her Diamond Jubilee, and the newest for her Platinum Jubilee.

In each case, beech trees were planted and have thrived, but the plaques had become completely overgrown by brambles and encroaching vegetation. So, on a less tropical summer day than our last work day, and at the end of the nesting season, the Friends of Three Cornered Copse tackled the overgrowth to reveal these hidden gems.

A team of 15 volunteers, plus Mike, the Ranger, turned out and set to work with scythes, loppers, rakes and shears. Oblivious to the scratches and stings inflicted on the workers, the next three hours were filled with the sound of slashing and crashing as the area was slowly revealed and the brambles and nettles cleared. It’s been a few years since we tackled these areas, and the paths that pass by the beeches had become narrow and, in some cases, had disappeared altogether.

One of the main entrances to Three Cornered Copse is the gate on Dyke Road Avenue, where an island provides a crossing over the busy road from the Hill Top Café and Green Ridge. One of our members has become concerned about the safety of pedestrians and their dogs crossing this busy entrance to the city, and has started a petition asking the council to consider some traffic-calming measures to help slow incoming vehicles and create a wider refuge for cyclists and pedestrians. The crossing is used by children and parents crossing to Westdene and Blatchington Mill schools at the busiest time of the day. Thankfully, no serious accidents have occurred, but a better crossing would help ensure that this continues.

The petition needs more than 1,250 signatures and is slowly building towards that number, but more help is needed. If you’d like to see some consideration given to making the crossing safer, please sign up at the petition page to add your support. (Go to democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk and click on “Petitions” in the list on the left.)

Finally, early in September, we held our AGM at the Poets Ale and Smokehouse. Our thanks to them for allowing us to use the function room once again. To date, we have a record number of members, and in July, we had a record number of work day volunteers. Many thanks for your support.

Simon Baxendale
threecorneredcopse.org.uk