Parliament’s iconic Christmas tree: six festive facts
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It takes a crane with 5-6 workers to get it in place and tie it down.
For Terry Cole and Geoff Bullock from Parliament’s In-House Services and Estates Team, 2020 is their 25th year putting up Parliament’s iconic Christmas tree – which, according to some, is the most photographed Christmas tree in the world.
“One year the tree blew down but we managed to arrange a crane on the same day and it was up and lit by the next morning. Another year it had been snowing and we found a frozen pheasant stuck in the branches that had travelled with the tree to Parliament!”
2
It's specially selected
This year’s tree, a Sitka Spruce, was selected from more than 155 million trees in the Kielder Forest in Northumberland.
Forestry England works supervisor, Steve Orton, who chose this year’s tree, said:
“It’s a big honour to be the one who fells the Big Ben tree, but it's a big team effort and needless to say we have to be extremely careful not to damage it.
We are also thinking ahead. Kielder is one of the few places in the UK that can supply really tall high-quality trees and many will grace city centres this year around the country.
But to ensure a consistent supply we have taken seeds from previously selected trees and then planted the saplings at carefully recorded locations.
We reckon that by the 2050s some of these thoroughbreds will be ready to take their place at prime spots, including at Westminster.”
3
It's sustainable
For the past 19 years the sustainable and homegrown Christmas tree that takes its traditional place in New Palace Yard has been gifted to Parliament by the Forestry Commission.
The massive restocking push in Kielder is an opportunity to ensure the nation’s largest working forest will be relevant for future generations by responding to issues of climate change, biodiversity crisis and health and well-being, as well as supplying vital timber.
4
This year’s tree reaches almost 43ft in height and weighs 1.8tonnes
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It's not the only tree on the Parliamentary estate
Smaller trees are also being supplied for the Speaker’s apartment and Westminster Hall. They will be taken 330 miles south overnight on a low loader truck and then readied with lights before a grand switch on.
Other tall trees are being despatched from Kielder Forest to city centres around the UK, including Glasgow, Ipswich and Sunderland.
6
There have been four Commons Speakers since Forestry England first started supplying Christmas Trees 19 years ago; Betty Boothroyd, Michael Martin, John Bercow, and the current Speaker of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said:
"I am so pleased we are able to keep at least one of our annual traditions, so it is wonderful to see the arrival of this year’s Christmas tree, which I hope will raise spirits in these troubled times.
We really appreciate the gift from Forestry England, which comes at a time when we all need to support each other, and none more so than at Christmas.
I hope the tree, when it’s decorated, will act as a beacon of hope that life will one day return to normal.”
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