Glorious in springtimes past, it's sad to note the demise of this tree, down after so many years at Deepdene. Click through for a lyrical tribute by our resident poet, and a few more pictures.

 

Our montage pictures of the tree in blossom are from our archives from April 2014, with the one on the right taken on Monday (Sept 2).

We asked our resident poet (ChatGPT) to pen a tribute to the tree in the form of a haiku (with a nod to the style of Private Eye's poet-in-residence E. J. Thribb).

Here's the result:

In Memoriam: Deepdene’s Tree

So, farewell then, tree
Deepdene’s springtime symbol lost,
You will be missed here.

Do you know more about the tree - for example how long it was there, its type, how long it's been down and the reason for its decline (it looks as if was probably diseased or had succumbed to rot)? Maybe you've a memory to share. If so we'd be pleased to hear from you and may update this piece accordingly.

John Hunt tweets:

There once was a tree in Deep Dene
It's demise was sadly foreseen
The wind it did blow
And we mournfully know
The tree is now insect cuisine

— John Hunt (@SpreadsheetJohn) September 4, 2024