Brunel's Tree - Railway Avenue, London, UK
N 51° 30.103 W 000° 03.185
30U E 704525 N 5709738
This tree stands in the area to the north of the Brunel Museum that is set aside as a seating and picnic area. The tree is the species Robinia pseudoacacia.
Waymark Code: WMERQ0
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/02/2012
Views: 2
The plaque is in an unusual location being fixed to concrete
that has been poured into the centre of a tree that also has stainless steel
bolts through it. The plaque reads:
Robinia psuedoacacia (False
Acacia)
Introduced by Jean Robin
from America
in 1601
and planted widely for shipbuilding
until Brunel built in
iron.
This plaque and garden funded by
People's Places
18 May 2005
The Culture24 website (visit
link) has an article about the tree and its environs:
"A new riverside garden has been named and a plaque
unveiled after restoration work to the Brunel engineering family’s famous
tree.
The tree, standing outside the Brunel Engine House and
Thames Tunnel in Rotherhithe, London, had been vandalised and suffered fire
damage. A recent appeal raised the funds to restore it and Brunel’s descendent
Lord Gladwyn unveiled the plaque
on May 18 2005.
The tree is symbolic of the Brunel family's
achievements.
“The tree outside Brunel’s Engine House is a living link
with this extraordinary family,” said museum curator Robert
Hulse.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel is best known for his pioneering
work with iron, but his father, Marc Brunel, built the adjacent Thames Tunnel.
Completed in 1843, it was the first underwater tunnel in the world, paving the
way for modern tunnelling, and is still used today as part of London’s rail
network.
The Brunel tree is a False Acacia or Black Locust, an
American species introduced to Britain to be used in
shipbuilding."
It is interesting to see the plaque in the above article
compared to how it is now and it clearly indicates that the tree is still
growing.