Saturday 15 October 2011

Locating a royal Turkey Oak

As a volunteer tree surveyor, I have recently formally registered this Turkey Oak in Cranbrook churchyard for which I discovered the ground plaque nearby, stating that the headmaster of Cranbrook School planted it to celebrate the marriage of Danish Princess Alexandra and Edward Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, at Windsor Castle in 1863. The headmaster, John Allan, who died in his forties, which was not regarded as young then, is buried under a yew nearby with a headstone paid for by his mature pupils. He was apparently an outstanding headmaster and public spirited and town-centred person; the whole of Cranbrook mourned him. 
This shows how much a tree grows in 148 years. We are surrounded by trees planted over 200 years ago.  This tree is not that large: it simply looks mature and solid. There are no signs of age on it yet. Here is the plaque:
Incidentally, the spelling of John Allan's name is wrong, and so is the date.  I think it was 1863 not 1862 but still checking.

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