Nellie's Tree

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Coordinates: 53°49′09″N 1°21′26″W / 53.8193°N 1.3572°W / 53.8193; -1.3572
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Nellie's Tree
Species
European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
LocationNear Aberford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Coordinates53°49′09″N 1°21′26″W / 53.8193°N 1.3572°W / 53.8193; -1.3572
Date seededCirca 1920

Nellie's Tree (also known as the Love Tree) near Aberford, West Yorkshire is a group of three beech trees that have been grafted together in the shape of a letter "N". This arrangement of the trees is a result of a local man trying to impress his girlfriend Nellie around 1920. It has since become locally famous and is the site of numerous marriage proposals. The trees won the 2018 English and British Tree of the Year awards and came ninth in the 2019 European Tree of the Year awards.

History

Detail of the "N" for Nellie (2018 photograph)

Though referred to as "the tree" in the singular form it is actually three separate beech trees that have been grafted together.[1] Around 1920 a young miner and keen amateur gardener, Vic Stead, resided in Garforth.[2][1][3] He regularly made the trip to Aberford by foot along the "Fly-line", a disused colliery railway, to see his girlfriend Nellie who worked there as a dairy maid.[4][5][6][7] Near to Aberford Stead found three beech saplings growing in a row and grafted the central tree onto the two adjacent ones in a diagonal fashion to form the shape of the capital letter "N".[6][5][1][4] This was intended as a gesture of his love for Nellie and as a means of impressing her.[1] It was apparently successful in this regard as the couple later married.[1]

The tree is known as the "Love Tree" locally and has become a popular site for marriage proposals.

The Woodland Trust have called it a "northern gem".[4][8] Nellie's Tree has become the symbol of the Save Parlington Action Group, a local campaign against development of the woodland.[2]

Tree of the Year

Vic and Nellie have both since died but their grandson nominated the tree into the Woodland Trust's

People's Postcode Lottery.[1] As a result of winning the English competition the tree was put forwards with the other national winners into the British competition, run in conjunction with the BBC's The One Show. The tree won the vote and was named British Tree of the Year.[10] The tree came ninth in the 2019 European Tree of the Year awards.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sweetheart beech wins Tree of the Year". BBC News. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Historic east Leeds tree is shortlisted for 'tree of the year' award". Yorkshire Evening Post. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  3. ^ Cornish, Natali (18 October 2018). "This award-winning tree is shaped like an 'N' for a very sweet reason". Country Living Magazine. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  4. ^
    ISBN 9781856193771
    .
  5. ^ a b Hutchins, Andrew (18 October 2018). "The N shaped tree in Leeds created to woo a sweetheart called Nellie wins tree poll". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  6. ^ a b Barwick-in-Elmet Historical Society (March 2001). "Nellie's Tree". The Barwicker. No. 61. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  7. ^ a b Xuequan, Mu (31 October 2018). "Lovers' memorial beech named Britain's Tree of the Year". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  8. ^ Kilner, Will (30 October 2018). "West Yorkshire tree created in lover's gesture a century ago named UK's 'tree of the year'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  9. ^ "Tree created in lover's gesture a century ago wins national competition". Swindon Advertiser. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  10. ^ a b "UK Tree of The Year 2018". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  11. ^ "Finalists of the European Tree of the Year 2019". European Tree of the Year. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
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