Beautiful park prepares to celebrate 100th birthday (From This Is Local London)

Epsom's Rosebery Park prepares to celebrate 100th birthday

5:40pm Monday 11th February 2013 in News By Hardeep Matharu

One of the area's most beautiful open spaces is preparing for its 100th anniversary by planting a copse of trees.

The Friends of Rosebery Park planted 25 hazel trees in a sparsely planted area of Rosebery Park, Epsom, last Sunday.

The event was part of a number of projects being undertaken by the group to prepare for the centenary of the park, which was given to Epsom by Lord Rosebery on November 26, 1913, as "proof of his deep and abiding affection for Epsom".

Archibald Philip Primrose, the 5th Earl of Rosebery, was a Liberal politician who became Prime Minister. He lived at the Durdans, in Epsom, where he died in 1929.

Hazel has a reputation as a magical tree and a hazel rod is supposed to protect against evil spirits, as well as being used for wands and water-divining.