The Big Tree
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The Big Tree by Andy Farrington as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
The Big Tree
Image: © Andy Farrington Taken: 14 May 2013
Much of Orkney is treeless, partly as a result of deforestation carried out by early man and partly through the exposed conditions which makes it difficult for young trees to establish. At one time the Big Tree in Kirkwall was said to be the largest tree in Orkney, protected by its position among closely grouped buildings. It originally stood in the garden of a house in Albert Street. When the house was sold in the 1870s, the garden was taken down, leaving the tree standing in the street. This lone sycamore is thought to be around 200 years old. Its age and position in paved ground, combined with years of extensive pruning have left it in poor condition. There is a steel bar in the middle of the tree to support it and no doubt help it survive a bit longer.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
58.982312
Longitude
-2.959771