Cubbington Pear Tree

The Cubbington Pear Tree is a wild pear tree located near to Cubbington in Warwickshire, England. Around 250 years old, it is the second largest wild pear tree in the country and a noted local landmark. In 2015 the tree was voted England's Tree of the Year. It is due to be felled as part of the High Speed 2 railway development.

Cubbington Pear Tree
The Cubbington Pear Tree in June 2015
SpeciesEuropean wild pear (Pyrus communis var. communis)
LocationCubbington, Warwickshire, England
Coordinates52.3113°N 1.4836°W / 52.3113; -1.4836
Date seededcirca 1760

Description

The Cubbington Pear Tree was identified as a specimen of Pyrus communis var. communis, and is listed as such in the Champion Tree Register.[1] It is located on the top of a hill near to South Cubbington Wood, Cubbington.[2][3] The tree sits on private land but lies near to a public footpath from which it is visible.[4] Thought to be around 250 years old, the Cubbington Pear Tree may be the United Kingdom's oldest wild pear tree.[3][4] The tree is the second largest wild pear tree in the country, measuring some 3.78 metres (12.4 ft) in girth.[3][4] Despite its age the tree continues to blossom and bear fruit.[5] The tree has been entered onto the Tree Register of the British Isle as a national champion (the oldest or largest known specimen of a particular species).[4]

HS2

In 2011 the Cubbington Pear Tree was identified as under threat from the proposed High Speed 2 (HS2) Phase 1 railway line between London and Birmingham, becoming one of 20 pear trees to be threatened by the scheme.[3][4][6] An expert from Warwickshire Museum visited the site to record and assess the tree.[4] Representatives from HS2 say that the tree cannot be relocated as the lower trunk is hollow. They propose to take cuttings from the tree and to plant seedlings from it nearby as a replacement. The tree trunk would be placed in the South Cubbington Wood to form a habitat for insects, fungi and plants.[7]

The removal of the tree is opposed by the Cubbington Action Group who have instead proposed that this section of the line be tunnelled beneath the tree.[3][7] A petition in support of this proposal was sent to the HS2 Parliamentary select committee, but the scheme was rejected on economic grounds, with an estimated cost of £46 million.[7][8] In preparation for its removal the Shuttleworth College (Bedfordshire) successfully took cuttings from the Cubbington Pear Tree by September 2017.[8] The Cubbington Action Group led a series of walks to view the tree in April and May 2018 to see it in bloom for the "last time".[9] Preliminary works for HS2 in this area had commenced by May 2018.[10]

In October 2019, local residents set up a protest encampment in South Cubbington Wood to protect the Cubbington Pear Tree and other nearby woodland.[11]

Tree of the Year

The Cubbington Pear Tree was entered into the English Tree of the Year competition in 2015 along with more than 200 others.[7] It was selected by the competition's panel of experts for the 10-strong shortlist for the public vote.[3] It won the competition having garnered more than 10,000 votes and beating famous trees such as the Ankerwycke Yew, the Boscobel Oak and the Glastonbury Thorn.[7][6] It was subsequently described by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust as the "poster-boy for all the trees along the route of HS2 ... that are under threat from the project".[12]

The tree was subsequently entered into the 2016 European Tree of the Year competition where it came 8th out of 15 entries with 7,858 votes.[13][14]

References
  1. "Champion Trees of the UK". www.treeregister.org.
  2. "The Cubbington Pear Tree". European Tree of the Year. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  3. Gilbert, Simon (28 September 2015). "HS2-threatened ancient pear tree up for accolade". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  4. "A champion pear tree is identified on the HS2 route". BBC Coventry and Warwickshire. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  5. "DNA cloning not for pear tree HS2 bosses told". Leamington Observer. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  6. "HS2 route tree voted nation's favourite". BBC News. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  7. Kennedy, Maev (8 November 2015). "Ancient pear tree in path of HS2 rail route wins Woodland Trust prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  8. Kearns, Laura (28 September 2017). "Pear tree which is set to be destroyed by HS2 will live on in sapling". Leamington Observer. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  9. Kearns, Laura (26 April 2018). "Take a 'last look' at Cubbington's pear tree in bloom". Leamington Observer. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  10. Thompson, Catherine (16 May 2018). "HS2 chiefs slammed after claims trees cut down at wildlife haven during nesting season". Leamington Observer. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  11. "Campaigners aim to protect ancient woodland by setting up camp". Leamington Observer.
  12. "Pear Tree in line of HS2 beats Magna Carta Yew & Tolpuddle Sycamore to Tree of the Year title". Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 2018-11-22. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  13. "England's Tree of the Year, Cubbington pear, to be cut down for HS2". Daily Telegraph. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  14. "European Tree of the Year 2016". Retrieved 10 October 2018.
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