London Plane tree’s, are among the most numerous trees found on London’s streets. It was first planted here in about 1550, but most will be a little less than 300 years old. If you walk along any street and pick out the most impressive tree you see, the odds are that it will be a London plane. It is as common in Paris as it is in London; in fact it is more common. Not that the French call them London planes. The French just call them planes, or platane. Istanbul, on the other side of Europe, is also rich with planes.
The bark can often be seen flaking off, and in doing so, sheds pollutants that may interfere with air reaching the trunk. This is one the reason why the tree has thrived in London during the periods of serious air pollution.
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| THIS PICTURE SHOWS ALL THE KNOTS AND HOLES IN THE WOOD |
This particular piece of London Plane came from Nunhead Cemetery. It was cut down about a year or so ago and has been in the cemetery drying out. You can see when the timber was first cut how red in colour it is and what amazing patterns can be found. The timber should really be left for two or more years before carving it. But I couldn’t wait that long and had to start carving straight away. The wood was still green and moist, so it was difficult to cut the letters as sharp as I would of liked. But I was fairly happy with the rustic type finish; I hope you like it too.
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| THE WOOD REMINDS ME OF GIANT STEAK |
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| ALIEN TYPE IMAGE ON THE LEFT |
RECENT COMMISSIONS
Here are a couple of pieces I have just finished, from people I meet at the Nunhead Open Day. The first is for a garden in Sicily, Italy. The second is one of my wooden bricks, with hearts carved on top.
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