Dreamy Dulwich village was recently filled with the smell of petrol fumes and the churning growls of a chainsaw.
The Swamp Cypress tree (pictured) in the garden of Dulwich Picture Gallery has been felled.
It was so sad to see the tree go, but it was for the best. At such great height (well over 100 feet) and with a nasty rot problem inside its trunk, it was decided best for the Gallery building and its visitors to remove the tree.
Everyone was surprised to see it come down so quickly – executed by tree surgeons in just minutes.
The tree was thought to be around 160 years old. Alas, due to the rot in the centre of the trunk we are not now able to count all the rings and get a better idea of its age.
But once it was down, Matthew the tree surgeon estimated that it was at least 200 years old and probably closer to 250! That means it was there long before the Picture Gallery even existed or any of the other trees in the garden. The search is now on for an old picture of the tree when it was smaller.
In the meantime I have fond memories of the Swamp Cypress – of sitting in its shade on summer’s evening, glass of wine in hand at one of the late openings, watching the world go by. It’ll be sorely missed.
The Gallery have said that there’s potential for wood sculptors to put the timber to good use. From looking inside the trunk soon after it was felled it’s pretty clear the rot has spread throughout the entire tree. But perhaps some clever wood artist can get round that.
The stump will remain in place in the garden. Perhaps it can become a bench or some interesting garden feature in the future.
The Gallery have also planted a Swamp Cypress nearby and that’s already made it to five feet tall.
It’s amazing to think that this tree has overseen the Gallery over all those years. I wonder what the Gallery will look like in another 250 years?
