Levenshulme Old Library is a striking Victorian building in the heart of Levenshulme, South Manchester. Now home to a vibrant community hub and a range of local projects, it’s a cherished part of the neighbourhood — both architecturally and socially.
At the front of the building, lining the pavement along Cromwell Grove, stand four mature lime trees and a beautiful London Plane. These trees are an important feature of the site, contributing greatly to the building’s aestehtics. However, like many mature urban trees, they had begun to pose some challenges that needed professional attention.
The Issue: Overhang, Leaf Litter and Gutter Blockage
Although healthy and well-established, the trees had developed significant crown spread — particularly over the building itself. Their branches were extending across the roof and depositing large amounts of leaf litter into the Victorian-style gutters that channel rainwater from the roof.
Due to the architecture of the Old Library, these gutters are hard to manage and are integral to managing runoff. Blockages can quickly lead to overflow, water damage, or even long-term structural issues. The problem was especially pronounced in autumn when lime and plane leaves fall in large volumes.
The trees had also grown outward over the adjacent pavement and road, reducing clearance for pedestrians and vehicles and creating maintenance issues with falling debris.
The Brief: Reduce Overhang, Improve Clearance and Remove Growth
We were contacted by the Old Library’s to carry out careful, targeted pruning of the trees. The brief was threefold:
Reduce the overhang over the roof, pushing the canopy back to achieve a minimum clearance of one metre — helping to prevent future leaf build-up and reduce the risk of blocked gutters.
Push back the crown spread on the street side to improve clearance over the pavement and road, and to proactively manage the ongoing growth of the trees.
Remove epicormic growth — the dense shoots growing from the lower trunks of the lime trees — which can make the trees look untidy, restrict visibility, and interfere with pedestrian access.
As always, we carried out a pre-site assessment to ensure all works were suitable for the trees’ health and carried out in line with best practice.
Our Approach: Sensitive, Skilled Pruning to BS3998
All work was completed to British Standard 3998: Recommendations for Tree Work, which provides guidance on how to prune trees in a way that respects their health, structural integrity, and long-term vitality.
Our team carried out precise reductions using rope and harness techniques, ensuring no damage to the historic building below. We made clean, appropriate pruning cuts that allowed for light reduction in crown size while retaining the natural shape of each tree.
We also carefully removed epicormic growth from the limes’ stems, tidying the lower trunks and helping improve airflow and light at street level. This type of maintenance is often needed on lime trees, which are known for producing vigorous basal shoots.
All arisings were chipped and delivered to Tonbridge Road Allotments to be used as mulch.
The Result: A Safer, More Manageable Streetscape
The result is a noticeable improvement in clearance over the Old Library’s roof and along the pavement. By removing overhanging branches and epicormic growth, we’ve helped protect this historic building from ongoing maintenance headaches and made the footpath cleaner and more welcoming.
The trees themselves remain healthy and full of character — just better managed for their urban setting. With regular maintenance like this, trees of this age and size can continue thriving in the heart of the community for many decades to come. This is the 2nd time we have pruned Levy Old Library’s trees. We last did it in 2022.
Need Tree Care for a Heritage Site or Public Building?
At Woodfelder Tree Care, we’re experienced in working around historic and public buildings, including schools, libraries, churches, and community centres. We understand the balance between preserving character and ensuring safety and functionality.
If you’re responsible for mature trees on or near a listed building or community site, we can help. Whether it’s light pruning, crown reduction, or full site management, we’ll carry out the work safely, respectfully, and in line with current standards.
