The Elfin Oak
Kensington Gardens began life as one of the many hunting parks of King Henry VIII. Originally part of Hyde Park, in 1689 King William III and his wife Queen Mary decided to build a new home – Kensington Palace – next to the park and used part of Hyde Park to create the gardens , but it was Caroline, wife of George II, who in 1728 took the landscape of Kensington Gardens one stage further. The landscape of Kensington Gardens today is largely down to her, and a creative garden designer called Charles Bridgeman. Together, they created the winding Serpentine, one of the first artificial lakes in the country, designed to appear natural, rather than formal.
The Gardens are now open for everyone to enjoy and are full of things to enjoy. Peter Pan is possibly the park’s most famous resident, with his statue found to the west of The Long Water, close to his creator, J M Barrie's former home on Bayswater Road. The Albert Memorial sits opposite the Royal Albert Hall and The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground welcomes the park’s youngest visitors. Standing close by is a strange tree, trapped in a metal cage.
Known as The Elfin Oak, it was created between 1928 and 1930 by the Scottish artist, Ivor Innes, who carved 74 miniature figures around the natural features of the hollow trunk of an 800-year-old oak tree, which had been brought specifically for the purpose to Kensington Gardens from Richmond Park.
The carvings were maintained by Innes for decades, but by the early 1960s, Spike Milligan noticed the tree was deteriorating. He personally funded a repair and restoration project on the figures and the trunk itself and in 1996, began a campaign to fundraise for a second restoration that would ensure its permanent survival. Having successfully raised the funds, the carved figures were carefully repainted and the entire tree was coated in creosote. A concrete floor was also added and a year later, the Elfin Oak was declared a Grade II listed structure.
Adorned with carvings of ‘Little People’, the tree apparently features Wookey the witch, with her three jars of health, wealth and happiness; Huckleberry the gnome, carrying a bag of berries up the Gnomes' Stairway to the banquet within Bark Hall; and Grumples and Groodles the Elves, being awakened by Brownie, Dinkie, Rumplelocks and Hereandthere stealing eggs from the crows' nest, but it is really hard to find any information about who decided on these names. However, as Innes also illustrated a 1930 children’s book written by his wife Elsie, based on the Elfin Oak called ‘The Elfin Oak of Kensington Gardens’, I can only assume these stories come from this.
Early photos show that the tree wasn’t always encased in its current cage, but sadly, it was thought necessary to add this to protect the tree from vandals as well as the elements. However, hopefully, this will help to preserve this whimsical London landmark for many years to come.
The Elfin Oak,
Kensington Gardens
Broad Walk,
London
W2 4RU