Plea to save historic tree planted by suffragettes
A campaign is under way to save Bath’s last surviving ‘suffragette tree, which is in desperate need of remedial work.
The Austrian pine stands in the garden of Batheaston residents Eileen Paddock and Keith Paddock, and was originally planted in 1909 by Rose Lamartine-yates, a suffragette who was imprisoned after she and 28 other women marched on the Houses of Parliament.
The tree was planted as part of Annie’s Arboretum, a collection of trees in the grounds of Eagle House, near Bath, where suffragettes stayed, often to recuperate after imprisonment for their political actions.
In recent years, it has been cared for by the owners of the house in whose garden it lives, but it is now in “desperate need of major and costly remedial work”.
A Crowdfunding campaign has been set up by the Batheaston community to raise funds for the vital work, with a target of £5,000.
The tree’s Just Giving page says that once restored, the pine “will continue to inspire present and future generations of women and men to work for equality”.
The arboretum was created in a three-acre site in the grounds of Eagle House between 1909 and 1912 by around 60 suffragettes, 46 of whom had been imprisoned in the fight for gender equality.
Suffragettes who took part in planting the trees included Annie Kenney (after whom the arboretum was named), Emmeline Pankhurst, Christabel Pankhurst and Vera ‘Jack’ Holme.
Each time a tree was planted the women would dress in their finest clothes, wear their honorary Women’s Social and Political Union (WPSU) medals - for those who had been imprisoned at Holloway for militant suffragette activity and have photographs taken as a record of the event.
Among the trees was the Suffragettes’ Rest, a place for women to stay, often to recover from the brutalities of imprisonment and forced feeding.
Over the decades the site has been gradually redeveloped for housing, leading to all but one of the trees being destroyed.
The magnificent 113-year-old pine in Eileen and Keith’s garden is the last survivor of the arboretum. It stands over 30 metres high and attracts visitors from around the UK and beyond.
According to the Crowdfunding page, the trunk is so wide that it takes at least 5 women to encircle it. The tree has a preservation order on it - imposed by a local planning authority to protect specific trees.
However, the upkeep of the tree has been the sole responsibility of its dedicated caretakers, Eileen and Keith.
Over the years, some branches have broken and fallen off and others are currently fragile and in danger of breaking.
Even more concerning is that the crown of the tree is damaged in such a way that it could be brought down entirely by high winds.
The Just Giving page says that money is needed to “ensure that this living piece of history will flourish for many years to come, so that future generations can continue to draw inspiration in the ongoing struggle for equality across the world, from those who so courageously fought for women’s rights in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We owe them so much”.
Eileen’s granddaughter, Sarah Paddock, said: “This tree remains as one of the monumental living pieces of history that with the help of crowd funding will flourish for many years to come so that future generations can continue to draw inspiration in the ongoing struggle for equality across the world.”
You can find out more about the tree and donate at: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/suffragettetree-1?utm_id=60&utm_ term=rrnqnqpqa.