St Lawrence Lime facts for kids
The St Lawrence Lime Tree was a very famous and tall lime tree in Canterbury, Kent, England. It stood about 90 feet (27 meters) high. What made it special was its location: it grew right inside the playing area of the St Lawrence Ground, a cricket field! Because of this, there were special rules for cricket games played there. Sadly, in 2005, strong winds broke the tree in half.
The Famous Cricket Tree
Nobody knows exactly when the St Lawrence Lime Tree was planted. But it was already a big, grown-up tree by 1847. That's when the St Lawrence Ground cricket field first opened. The cricket ground was actually built around the tree, so it ended up inside the playing area.
Because of this unique tree, special rules were made for cricket matches. The St Lawrence Ground was the only professional cricket field with a tree right on the playing area! These rules might have started before 1910. There's a story that a player once caught a ball after it bounced off the tree.
The special rules said:
- If a cricket ball hit the tree, it automatically counted as four runs. This was true even if the ball looked like it would have gone for six runs.
- A player could not be caught out if the ball bounced off the tree first.
Hitting the ball over the tall tree was a big challenge for batsmen. Only four players ever managed to do it! Their names were Arthur Watson, Learie Constantine, Jim Smith, and Carl Hooper.
The Tree's End and a New Beginning
In 1999, experts found that the St Lawrence Lime Tree had a disease called heartwood fungus. This fungus weakens the inside of the tree. They thought the tree would only live for about 10 more years, even with special care.
To prepare, a new, young lime tree was planted nearby at the St Lawrence Ground. A famous cricket writer named E. W. Swanton helped plant it.
The old tree, weakened by the fungus, broke in half during strong winds on January 8, 2005. Only a 7-foot (2-meter) stump was left.
At first, the cricket club planned for the new tree to take the old tree's place inside the playing area. The Marylebone Cricket Club, which makes the rules for cricket, even gave permission. However, the new tree was still very small. It wasn't strong enough to handle being hit by cricket balls. Also, players couldn't see it very well.
So, the club decided to plant the new tree just outside the boundary ropes instead. This way, it's still part of the ground but not in the direct playing area. Former club captain Chris Cowdrey took part in the planting ceremony.
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