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The
Elfin Oak of Kensington Gardens
Sights
to See In London
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It may seem amazing, but an old tree stump in London actually is one of
the
most famous pieces of wood in the world.
Of course, it is sort of amazing that a tree stump has been saved for
900 years and is actually a tourist attraction in London's Kensington
Garden.
I'm not even sure that "stump" is a good word to describe what is
essentially a hollow log which was transported from Richmond Park in
1928 as a gift to a public plan by Lady
Fortescue.
This action was part of a plan for public improvements in London
fostered by George
Lansbury, a british politician, socialist, Christian
pacifist and newspaper editor. Lansbury was also a Member of Parliament
from 1910 to 1912 and from 1922 to 1940, and was the leader of the
Labour Party from 1932 to 1935. Sometimes referred to as "The
Commissioner for Good Works", Lansbury was also involved
with the
construction, among many other public works, of a large open air
swimming pool on the Serpentine
in Hyde Park,
which was popularly known
as "Lansbury's Lido".
Whatever Lansbury's motivation and/or expectations for the move, in the
two years following the move, the 900-year-old hunk of wood was
tranformed into a work of art by illustrator Ivor Innes.
Innes carved several figures of elves, such as "Wookey the Witch"
into
the stump, hence leading to the current popluar name of "Elfin Oak".
Over the years, despite a momentary flash of fame when featured on the
inside cover of Pink
Floyd's 1969 album Ummagumma,
the Elfin Oak lost
some of its glory. However, in 1996, comedian Spike Milligan,
a lifetime fan of the old oak tree...er...stump, led a movement to have
it restored. He was successful, and, in 1997 then Heritage
Minister Tony
Banks declared it a Grade II listed structure.
Travelers to London can easily visit the Elfin Oak in Kensington
Garden, but a strong metal framework has been erected around
it to
protect it from the public.
The Elfin Oak is next to the cafe and the Princess Diana Children's
Play Area only a few yards from the gate on Bayswater Road which
is
close to the Queensway
Tube Station of the London
Underground.
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Sights to See in London
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