The downing of the Darnley Sycamore
Storm Éowyn claims a Heritage Tree...
The new year brought Storm Éowyn, which damaged many trees, including Glasgow’s Darnley Sycamore - a tree designated as one of The Tree Council’s ‘Heritage Trees’ in the early 2000s, for its cultural, historical and ecological significance.
It was featured in Jon Stokes’ - The Tree Council’s Director of Trees, Science & Research - book Heritage Trees of Scotland. To reflect, Tree Talk has gathered Jon’s response to the news, and reproduces the original entry from his 2006 book below.
Jon Stokes said: “Ancient and impressive sycamores are usually found in Scotland and the north of England, where the species thrives so well some ecologists suggested it should be renamed, the Celtic Maple.
“The Darnley Sycamore is an ancient tree that once grew in the outskirts of Glasgow but is now integrated into the city’s treescape. Linked to Mary, Queen of Scots and her husband Lord Darnley, this important heritage tree beautifully connects Scottish history and the environment, in modern day Glasgow.
“It’s fantastic news that reports from Glasgow City Council suggest, with careful management, this beloved tree should survive the damage inflicted by Storm Éowyn, and will continue to provide a living link to Scotland’s past.”
And from Heritage Trees of Scotland:
”Located incongruously in the heart of urban Glasgow, the once rural setting of this named sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) has been heavily encroached upon in recent decades by urban sprawl. An isolated survivor of a bygone age, it is now surrounded on all sides by modern housing estates and retail developments.
“As its name suggests, it is one of the many trees in Scotland which are claimed to have links with Mary, Queen of Scots. A plaque erected by Glasgow City Council on the iron railings which encloses the tree reads, ‘….Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots sat under this great sycamore tree when she nursed him back to health after an illness….’. Darnley and Mary married in 1565 and are reputed to have stayed at nearby Crookston Castle.
“The sycamore is not especially large in terms of height or girth, with a trunk diameter of 1.3 metres, a girth of 4.09 metres, and a height of 18.8 metres. It seems unlikely that this particular tree was around at that time to support this romantic tale. For it to have been of a stature large enough to make it attractive for Scotland’s queen to sit under would require it to have been around since about 1450, suggesting it should now be about 550 years old.
“This is clearly not the case. Something of an arboricultural imposter, it serves as a good example of how trees can assume a false pedigree with the passage of time.
“The tree, nevertheless, cuts a fine figure as an open-grown specimen, with long, spreading limbs and an attractive dome shaped crown typical of the species. The crude removal of lower limbs in the past has resulted in the formation of a number of well developed cavities on the main trunk, from which emerge impressive brackets of the Dryad’s saddle fungus (Polyporous squamossus) suggesting that the process of internal decay is well advanced.
“Where stubs have been left, these are now completely calloused over to form outlandish protrusions on the trunk. Numerous nails hammered into the trunk by children to facilitate access into the tree is not doing it any favours, and is part of the price it has to pay for its prominent urban existence.”
The Tree Council revisited all the trees featured in Jon Stokes’ Heritage Trees books (including Heritage Trees of Britain and Northern Ireland) in partnership with our friends at Woodland Trust. Each tree was photographed, and a record taken of its condition - 20 years on. This project is now close to completion - stay tuned for the results!
MORE: How to Read a Tree: Southern Eyes by Tristan Gooley
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