Oh how I recognised and felt what Damien Gayle described in his article (My neighbour tore down the hedge outside our window – and I learned what ‘solastalgia’ feels like, 23 September). Our house used to have four mature trees, including two lilac on one side and an apple tree and beautiful bushes on the other. The area where our gardens met was full of birds, insects and squirrels, and provided a great play area for our cats. Like Damien, we came back from holiday to find the trees cut down and bushes cleared.
A few weeks later, a similar slaughter happened on the other side. Discussion with the council confirmed that there is nothing we can do to prevent such destruction on privately owned land, unless it is a conservation area. This, despite the council’s commitment to improving our environment and air quality. While they plant trees in the street, absentee landlords cut them down in urban gardens. I weep!
Cath Attlee
London
• I read with such sadness the article by Damien Gayle. I had never heard of “solastalgia”, but I certainly feel it. We moved to our new house three years ago, moving into the countryside to have a bigger garden and more green space. I love my trees and garden here. It was a wrench to leave my small town garden, and I fretted how it would be treated by the new owner.
I was right to worry: they have torn down the ivy that housed a colony of loud and busy sparrows; the crab apple tree – which fed blue tits and wood pigeons plus hedgehogs with fallen fruit – has been hacked back to a sad stump; and the glorious silver birch in the back garden has been chopped down. I can’t go near my old house now as seeing it breaks my heart. I have solastalgia.
Nancy Clarke
Medstead, Hampshire
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
