Nellie's Tree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nellie's Tree |
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Nellie's Tree in 2015
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| Species | European beech (Fagus sylvatica) |
| Location | Near Aberford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 53°49′09″N 1°21′26″W / 53.8193°N 1.3572°W |
| Date seeded | Circa 1920 |
Nellie's Tree is a special group of three beech trees near Aberford, West Yorkshire. People also call it the Love Tree. These trees have been carefully joined together to form the shape of the letter "N". Around 1920, a young man shaped these trees to impress his girlfriend, Nellie. It has become very famous in the area. Many people even propose marriage there! Nellie's Tree won the 2018 English and British Tree of the Year awards. It also placed ninth in the 2019 European Tree of the Year awards.
The Story of Nellie's Tree
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Even though people call it "the tree," it is actually three separate beech trees. They have been grafted, or joined, together. This happened around 1920. A young miner named Vic Stead lived in Garforth. He was also a keen gardener.
Vic often walked to Aberford to see his girlfriend, Nellie. She worked there as a dairy maid. He walked along an old railway line called the "Fly-line". Near Aberford, Vic found three young beech trees growing in a row. He carefully joined the middle tree to the two trees next to it. He did this in a diagonal way to make the shape of a capital "N".
This special tree was a gift to show Nellie how much he loved her. It was also a way to impress her. It seems to have worked, because Vic and Nellie later got married!
A Local Landmark
The tree is known as the "Love Tree" by local people. It has become a very popular spot for marriage proposals. Many couples have gotten engaged under its branches.
A writer named Richard Mabey described it as "one of the most touching twentieth-century landmark trees." He wrote this in his 1996 book, Flora Britannica. The Woodland Trust has also called it a "northern gem." Nellie's Tree has even become a symbol for a local group. This group, called the Save Parlington Action Group, works to protect the nearby woodland from new buildings.
Tree of the Year Awards
Vic and Nellie have both passed away. However, their grandson nominated the tree for a special award. He entered it into the Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year competition in 2018. He remembered walking in the woods with his grandparents. They would point out the tree and tell him its story.
Experts chose Nellie's Tree to be on a list of 10 trees. The public then voted for their favorite. Nellie's Tree won the English part of the competition! It received 2,351 votes, which was more than any other tree in the four national contests. It also received a £1000 grant to help care for the tree. This money came from the People's Postcode Lottery.
Because it won the English competition, Nellie's Tree went on to the British competition. This was run with the BBC show The One Show. The tree won this vote too and was named British Tree of the Year! In 2019, Nellie's Tree also took ninth place in the European Tree of the Year awards.
