Conservation of Ely’s London plane
Securing the future of the biggest London plane in the UK
David Day
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Image shows the scale of Ely’s London plane, taken in August 2024.
This is the first in a short series of articles giving an account of how the custodians of a heritage tree came to meet some of the leading arboricultural experts from across the UK and Europe, and learnt the best way to care for a historically important veteran tree using innovative techniques.
Subsequent articles, co-authored with Keith Sacre of Barcham Trees, will delve into the conservation plans, works undertaken and outcomes that will ensure the tree's continued good health long into the future.
The tree in question is the Great London Plane Tree of Ely. It is situated in the gardens of the Old Bishop's Palace, which is the location of King's Ely Sixth Form Centre. The tree is of great historical significance and at well over 350 years old is recognised as the largest single London plane in the UK, and one of the oldest.
It was planted around 1674 and is believed to have been a gift from King Charles II to Peter Gunning, Bishop of Ely, when such a tree was regarded as an important indicator of status and influence. It was likely to have been between 5 and 10 years old when it was planted in the position where it stands today. A hybrid of the oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) and American sycamore (Platanus x hispanica) that was first noted in about 1663, the hybrid cross is thought to have occurred in the Lambeth gardens of the Tradescants, the great 16th- and 17th-century botanists and royal gardeners. Ely's is, therefore, believed to be one of the UK's original London planes.
In recognition of its historical significance, the tree was identified as being one of the top 50 Great British Trees by the Tree Council in Jon Stokes' excellent book, as part of the celebrations for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002. It is the only London plane on the list.
In 2013, working together with David Johnson from Barcham Trees, cuttings were taken and now the tree's offspring are growing in the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, at Denston Hall and Parham Hall in Suffolk, in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire (near the Arboricultural Association's offices) and in the Old Bishop's Palace gardens within sight of its parent. Barcham Trees also has several saplings growing in its new arboretum. The trees are designated as 'Ely Planes', propagating the DNA strain from the original.
The Old Palace dates from the 1480s, and it was home to the Bishop of Ely from 1486 until 1941. The building has seen plenty of history, including being used as a prison for Catholic recusants from 1588 to 1597. The fathers and other relatives of some leading figures of the failed 1605 Gunpowder Plot were even imprisoned here. The Red Cross took over the building in 1941, initially as a hospital for wounded servicemen, then as a school for disabled children. In 1983 the Sue Ryder charity occupied the Old Palace as a care home and remained until 2010. King's Ely then took over the building, leasing it and the grounds from the Church Commissioners and opening it as the school's Sixth Form Centre in 2012 following a very extensive and sympathetic restoration.
The London plane itself has certainly seen a lot of history. Many adults and children have sought respite from the sun in the shade of its crown, enjoyed picnics at the foot of the enormous trunk, and been graced by its majesty. To this day many people experience an emotional response to the tree when in its presence.
On Sunday 25th July 1937 at around 9am, with the sound of 'a report like a cannon', a limb fell from the tree, as reported in the local Ely paper at the time.
Fortunately no one was in the garden. Cable bracing between the main limbs was subsequently installed in the 1940s. Additional bracing was added in the 1980s, and more has since been installed since the school took over custodianship.
History is clearly important to those of us interested in the Great London Plane of Ely and heritage trees in general, and this image is particularly relevant. It was found in a collection of old glass plate photographs in Ely Cathedral, and shows the tree against a backdrop of the Old Palace and the cathedral itself. The name of the photographer and precise date of the image are unknown, but given that this type of photography fell out of common use in the early 20th century, this image must have been taken at least 100 years ago. The prominent limb in the foreground is the one that parted from the tree in 1937.
This photo was taken in February 2024 and makes an interesting comparison with the glass plate image. It shows the pond resulting from the natural spring that nourishes the fine collection of trees and plants flourishing within the palace gardens.
As custodians of the tree within an estate that covers around 75 acres which has many veteran trees and Grade I listed buildings, we recognise the responsibilities that come with caring for heritage assets. King's Ely has the largest collection of medieval buildings that have been in continuous use in the UK. The community of trees in the Old Palace gardens includes two veteran oriental planes, a huge old Ginkgo biloba, a couple of very large limes and some old mature chestnuts. It's often said by arborists who visit the gardens that if were not for the London plane, the Ginkgo would get all the attention! Elsewhere we have a weeping beech that is around 200 years old, a beautiful old silver birch and some veteran yews. We have longstanding relationships with arboricultural consultants, some of whom have cared for the trees over very many years, including prior to King's Ely's tenure.
Securing the tree's future
The tree continues to enjoy vigorous good health, with plenty of new-season extension growth on display this year. Knowing how long some of the cable bracing has been in place, together with our consultants we have considered how best to care for the tree into the future. Given its very special status, we sought advice from the Tree Council, the Woodland Trust and Kew. Several meetings later, we met with the Arboricultural Association, who proposed using the morphophysiology approach to surveying the tree.
We realised that we needed to have a whole-tree survey in order for us to fully understand the needs of the tree, and determine what is required to ensure its long-term health and vitality, whilst taking account of the tree's location within a school and a historically important conservation area.
Stefania Gasperini and Giovanni Morelli from AR.ES s.a.s. di Gasperini Stefania & C. and their team conducted a whole-tree morphophysiological survey from 15th to 17th July this year. Simon Richmond and Emma Gilmartin from the Arboricultural Association and Keith Sacre from Barcham Trees were in attendance to witness the survey in action. The attention to detail and level of understanding were impressive, with a narrative from Stefania and Giovanni that both clarified what we were seeing and informed us of the good health of the tree. A future article will go into the technical details, but suffice to say that a clear plan was formed for the care of the tree, including installation of new cable bracing with dynamic elements that will provide the necessary support whilst allowing the tree to move as naturally as possible. This, in combination with a multi-year precision pruning plan, will ensure that the tree continues to flourish well into the future.
Experts from the UK and beyond discussing the future of Ely's London plane, July 2024.
The morphophysiological approach to managing Ely's London plane is presented as the first of a series of case studies that the Arboricultural Association is introducing with important trees in the UK, to start to provide an evidence base of how this approach can be used effectively as part of the arboricultural options available to both consultants and practitioners.
Another innovation as part of the conservation project is real-time monitoring of the tree. The University of Cambridge Department of Engineering has installed accelerometers on the tree that, together with a data acquisition system, allow movement amplitude and frequency data to be captured. This will enable us to see how the tree behaves in all weather conditions throughout the seasons, and will provide a before-and-after comparison to monitor the effect of the new cable bracing once it has been installed. The Cambridge team aim to model the structural dynamics of the tree, allowing further analysis and research. They also carried out laser scan surveys earlier in the year and in the summer, providing a comparison of the tree with and without leaves.
National heritage
One reason the tree and its compatriots are in such good health is that the gardens are not accessible on a daily basis to the public. Whereas some notable trees have suffered as a result of too much human or animal activity, Ely's London plane enjoys privacy and the protection that goes with it.
We recognise that the tree is part of our national heritage and a community amenity, so we are making the tree and the Old Palace gardens more accessible when we can. Clearly we have to ensure safeguarding within the school environment, as well as continuing to protect and care for the tree, so this has to be done in a controlled way. Special events are arranged to provide access to the wider community and visitors. For example, working with the local tourist information centre, tours of historic Ely include a walk through the Old Palace gardens. During August, 75 artists attended an art weekend held in the Old Palace gardens to create artworks of the tree and its surroundings. Given the high level of interest in the tree, the event was reported on BBC Radio and TV, and on the BBC News website.
Taken in August, this image illustrates the new season growth and vitality of the tree. The white rope delineates the accessible area of the garden, preventing root-plate compaction.
Artists were inspired by the tree's imposing presence, creating an impressive variety of artworks.
Following the art weekend, as part of Heritage Open Days held across the country,115 works of art were exhibited on a Sunday in September at King's Ely. We had over 600 visitors, many of whom attended talks on Living Legends by Adam Cormack from the Woodland Trust and then toured the gardens and met the tree. Similar events are planned for the future.
Which brings us to the question of funding. To implement the recommendations from the survey on such a large tree requires a significant budget. The Woodland Trust generously provided some financial support for the initial survey. We need to raise more funds, and the Tree Council is providing great support for our conservation project through a fund- raising page on its website. This includes a summary of the history of and plans for the tree, some excellent video footage showing the true scale of the tree, and provides the opportunity for people to make a donation: treecouncil.org.uk/donate-ely
Together with the Tree Council, the Woodland Trust, the Arboricultural Association, the University of Cambridge and others, we will ensure that in 100 years people will be able to see how the tree looks compared with images we capture today.
David Day is the Chair of the Board of Governors at King's Ely. He says, 'I first became directly involved in the project to conserve Ely's London Plane in November 2023. The project needed someone with the experience and time available to plan and manage the activities, obtaining the necessary arboricultural expertise, engaging and coordinating the various interested parties, as well as fundraising. My career in software engineering and IT included project management and forming strategic partnerships between technology companies. This experience enabled me to help run the conservation project, although everyone has been extremely helpful and generous with their time and sharing their knowledge. Their dedication and support have made the task so much easier.'
This article was taken from Issue 207 Winter 2024 of the ARB Magazine, which is available to view free to members by simply logging in to the website and viewing your profile area.