Country diary: trees stand as witnesses to history

Chicksands Wood, Bedfordshire A shaft of sunlight enticed me to a place where the wood's medieval heart beat still

Almost seven centuries ago, a great calamity 50 miles out to the east sent men with axes and saws into priory-owned Chicksands Wood. The Norman central tower of Ely Cathedral had collapsed, and the architect of its replacement chose to bridge the gap not with stone, but with wood. To this day, the Octagon Tower has Bedfordshire oak timbers holding up its roof to heaven.