Evading Extinction
The survival story of Brighton’s Elm trees
Elm was devastated in Britain in the 1960’s, ravaged by Dutch Elm disease. Nearly 30 million trees were lost. Amazingly, due to a natural ‘protective barrier’ granted by the tree-less topography of the South Downs, a small population around Brighton managed to survive. The Brighton Elms have since had to weather the ‘Great Storms’ of ’87 (900 trees were lost in Hove Park alone) and are now threatened by a new imported predator, the Zigzag Sawfly beetle. This bench was made to tell the story of the Brighton Elms, It was inspired as a response to the recent re-landscaping of Valley Gardens in Brighton, a place once rich in the trees. The wood for the bench was from a felled diseased elm and the engraved back was inspired by the markings made under the bark of the tree where the emerging larvae burrow channels. The natural curves of the seat were dictated by what remained useable of the wood, creating soft organic lines and a sense of the bench being eaten into.
Elm bench - engraved back
Elm bench - partially lathed and wedged legs
English Elm (Ulmus Procure)
The English Elm was brought in by the Romans and used as a means of supporting their grape vines. It grows up to 30 meters with a large canopy and often has a split or branching trunk. It has a tightly crossed grain which prevents chipping and splitting. Elm is the wood of choice for the iconic Windsor chair, for protecting crops in fields and, due to its watertight structure, was often used in pipes and boats. Queen Caroline, King George IV’s wife introduced Dutch Elm as a new species in the early 1800’s.
Elm tree - features
Elm bark - rough and fissured
Diseased Elm - larvae burrowing under the bark and creating tiny channels in the wood
Elm boards - a rich and swirly grain
The Elm in Brighton
“The place is truly desolate and if one had a mind to hang oneself for desperate at being obliged to live there, it would be difficult to find a tree on which to fasten a rope”
Dr Samuel Johnson 1701 - 1775
Elm transformed the once desolate Brighton landscape, being a tree able to survive ocean winds and swampy soils. It became popular in Brighton with the arrival of the Prince Regent (he of Brighton Pavillion fame). The main road leading to the sea was lined with magnificent Elms and named Elm Grove in their honour. The tree proved not only beautiful but useful and many of Brighton’s water mains and sewers were made of elm.
Topography of the South Downs
Handmade book to tell the story of the bench
A pull-out book version of the story