Image ID: 21849

A remarkable tree near the Seven Sisters'

Courtesy of Mansfield Library

Welbeck Park
Worksop
England

Caption reads: Not far from the Seven Sisters is a tree more remarkable for the hollowness of its trunk and luxuriancy of its foliage than for size; see Plate IV. The body of this tree is hollow from the bottom to the top, like a chimney, and is only 5 inches thick, including the bark; where that has been stripped off on the other side there are only 3 inches of wood. In this tree the game-keeper secretes himself when he shoots the deer, and there are small apertures for his gun; on the inside is cut 1711; so that this excavation must have been of the same dimensions 78 years ago as it is now, and the tree must have increased but very little in bulk since that time. For, if you allow it (which is granting too much) to have grown but one inch in thickness in 78 years, there could not have been two inches of solid wood to Support the trunk (which is 14 feet high) and projecting branches when the date was cut. The circumference of this tree near the ground is 20 feet 9 inches; at one yard high 14 feet 6 inches. In the year 1711 we may then fairly suppose it could not have been even one inch less in thickness; from whence we may conclude, that a tree of that size must then have been above two hundred years old, which brings the age of it now to near three hundred years. Setting aside its hollow trunk, it has every appearance of a young flourishing tree. On the North side, to the height of about 9 feet, the bark has been stripped off from within 5 feet of the bottom, which was, most probably, the effect of lightning. However that may be, it is certainly a remarkable instance of the strength of vegetation, in supporting so large a head on so thin, and, to appearance, almost decayed a trunk. See a drawing of the trunk at No.1.

Date: 1790

Organisation Reference: NCCW001189

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