Gas main replacement work near enormous Wellingtonia trees in Alton is meeting the terms of their tree preservation order, says East Hampshire District Council.

The authority is happy with the work being done in Crowley Drive by contractor Clancy on behalf of gas company SGN.

The Wellingtonias, also known as Giant Sequoias. are more than 100 years old and once graced the driveway of Victorian mansion Ashdell House.

Wellingtonia trees, Crowley Drive, Alton, September 8th 2025.
The Wellingtonia trees in Crowley Drive are enormous. (Alton Herald/Paul Coates)

Residents feared use of diggers and a large vacuum excavator might damage roots.

A council spokesperson said: “We have inspected the site and are satisfied that the work being carried out currently meets the requirements set out by the tree preservation order.

“We have been in touch with the owner of the trees, Hampshire County Council, to emphasise the local value of the trees, and we have explained to the contractors that the trees are covered by a tree preservation order and that it is a criminal offence to damage protected trees.”

A spokesperson for SGN confirmed the company had permission from East Hampshire District Council to do the work, quoting the permit reference number XW013W121821872-15790-02. The Herald is awaiting further comment from SGN.

Ashdell House was built for Frederick Crowley, after whom the road is named, by J H and E Dyer in the early 1870s.

In 1911 it was bought by farmer Guy Ferrand, who changed its name to Morland Hall, and in 1924 it was sold to Sir Henry Gauvain, medical superintendent of Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital and College, who opened a private artificial light therapy clinic there in 1925.

The NHS took control of the house in the late 1940s and renamed it The Henry Gauvain Hospital.

By the early 1960s it was deemed surplus to requirements, and it was demolished in 1969 to make way for the Ashdell Park development - but the Wellingtonias remained.