Kent Church

This huge twin stemmed False Acacia, at the Kentchurch Estate in Herefordshire, had previously been braced, due to concerns over its stability, but now it had been decided that it should come down, slowly.

Due to the sensitivity of the surrounding ground flora and architecture, and the questionable integrity of the tree itself , it was decided that a crane should be used for the dismantling.

Myself and Dan Sainsbury (both subcontracting to Delwyn Moseley), both climbed, working on different sections of the large canopy - the climber not cutting, co-ordinated with the crane operator - hats off to Tom.

As the photos of the stump show, the stems were fractured into quarters, split as the tree struggled to support itself.

The stately home in the background is that of the Scudamore family, and was once the hideout of Owain Glyndwr, in the times when the English were searching for him in Wales - cheeky monkey.

Many thanks to Mark Potter of Andrew Bronwin & Company, Chartered Foresters & Surveyors, for these great pictures.