Stables and Lucraft’s Ulmus londinium installation in the New Wing, tells the story of London’s elm heritage over the centuries. It has been created for The Conservation Foundation and will culminate in National Tree Week (28 November – 6 December) with a weekend of events on 28 and 29 November.
An online elm heritage route map for smart phones will guide cyclists and walkers beyond Somerset House on a tour of the capital’s central London elm heritage.
This includes the arches of Old London Bridge, elm pipes that carried water to the capital, Henry Vlll’s doomed queen Anne Boleyn was buried in an elm coffin, and the gibbet of the Tyburn elm.
The Ulmus londinium display will feature some of elm’s many uses from medieval London to the present day, including boats, chairs, coffins, waterpipes, wagon wheels and herbal remedies. It is the final part of The Conservation Foundation’s Ulmus londinium project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which has been reminding Londoners of their elm history and has included 700 new plantings to regenerate London’s elm population. There will be a giveaway of elm saplings on Sunday 29 November as part of National Tree Week. Conservation Foundation director David Shreeve said:"It is wonderful to be able to celebrate London’s elm heritage in this historic building which is such a fine example of conservation."
