This tree in the Ely cathedral grounds in Cambridgeshire UK has a very special history.
Like trees across England to make preparation for the attack of the heavily armed Spanish Armada in 1588, many trees were pollarded or taken down completely. Mostly the oaks and elms, but other woods too in the rush to build ships to defend our Islands. As it happened, a surprise storm wrecked many of the Spanish ships, the Bishop at the cathedral described our being saved as an act of god.
When the U.S. servicemen were billeted nearby in WW2 many started courting local girls and they would meet up at the tree, and it seemed to deserve the name of the kissing tree.
For some years afterwards the servicemen would come for a holiday and show the sights the Cathedral, Oliver Cromwells house and of course the kissing tree.
Unfortunately many of the old buildings were taken down in the 1960s in an effort to modernize and often people with American accents will ask “what happened to the” ?
Because many of the original settlers to America came from this part of the world people doing family research etc help keep the many small hotels and cafes going.
The staff at the railway station say as many folk arriving want to see the kissing tree as the local cathedral, the ancient lore is that to obtain the trees blessing for a long and happy union one must kiss ones love beneath its branches and looking at the huge number of British brides taken back to the U.S. after the war, it certainly seems to work.
T Stokes “Happy Palmistry”
Whole lives read from emailed hand photos.
[email protected] www.tstokes.co.uk
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