An art exhibition is being held in Ely in August to celebrate the beauty and importance of heritage trees.
More than 150 works of art by professional and amateur creatives will be on display and sale in the exhibition, which is taking place in the Hayward Theatre at King’s Ely from Tuesday 5th August to Sunday 10th August.
The exhibition will be a celebration of the spectacular Great London Plane Tree of Ely, which is the largest in the UK, and one of the original London Planes. Located in Ely’s Old Palace Gardens, the 42-metre-high specimen has recently been awarded more than £120,000 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help safeguard its future. The tree was planted in around 1674 and is believed to have been a gift from King Charles II to the Bishop of Ely.
Artworks will include a wide variety of subjects, including the Ely Plane Tree itself and its glorious surroundings. The exhibition will be open from 10am-4pm every day, admission is free, and entry is via The Gallery, Ely, CB7 4DH.
On Saturday 9th August and Sunday 10th August, members of the public will not only be able to visit the exhibition but also tour the Old Palace Gardens and meet Ely’s London Plane Tree. On Saturday 9th August, Adam Cormack, Head of Campaigning at The Woodland Trust, will also be delivering talks about heritage trees. David Day, who is leading the campaign to protect Ely’s London Plane Tree for future generations, will also be talking about the conservation project. These talks will be at 11am and 2pm. Again, the talks are free and everyone is welcome.
David Day said: “We will be delighted to welcome everyone to the art exhibition, and to celebrate our natural heritage. Working together with The Woodland Trust, The Tree Council, The University of Cambridge Department of Engineering, and others on the conservation of this heritage tree, the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant will finance the project over the next four years. The money will help to ensure that this magnificent tree can be enjoyed by future as well as current generations, and it stands as a fine example of how our natural heritage can be conserved and nurtured. The grant would not be possible without the National Lottery players, and we thank them for their generous support.”
Adam Cormack said: “We are really pleased to be supporting this event and the conservation work on the nationally important Plane Tree in the school grounds at King’s Ely. We are looking forward to showing people the tree and talking to visitors about it. Recent high profile tree felling cases including the Sycamore Gap Tree on Hadrian’s Wall and the Whitewebbs Park Oak in Enfield have underlined the importance of these trees but also their vulnerability. Our talks will cover this and much more.”
To find out more about the Ely London Plane Tree conservation project, please visit: https://treecouncil.org.uk/science-and-research/the-london-plane-of-ely/
