By Elliott West
“She decorated it with cotton wool to mimic snow, since baubles were lavish after World War I.”
Introduction
Bought in 1920 in a Woolworths store, his humble tree only stands 31-inches tall. Coming from an era when Britain was just emerging from the horrors of the First World War and rationing was still in place, it is thought to be the oldest Christmas tree in the country. A tree that arrived in Dorothy Grant’s house in Leicestershire when she was 8 years old .This was a tree that although small in stature, was much loved and adorned with candles and cotton wool to mimic snow. A tree that has survived two World War II bombs and eight home moves.
The Treasured Tree
This is an example of a Christmas tree that although sparsely adorned with 25 branches, 12 berries and six mini candle holders truly captures the spirit of Christmas. Unlike the commercial society, we live in today, this festivity of yesteryear was often celebrated with what you could afford and making do when you were unable to provide the many foods and presents that the pressure of society heaps on you. If this tree could talk, it could provide you with almost a century of information. Its branches are still dotted with candle wax and the wooden block it sits on, red and still gleaming.
Inherited by Dorothy’s daughter Shirley Hall when her mother died in 2014 at the age of 101, a historic item that was bought for pennies but one that has brought so much joy. Simple but symbolic, it could quite easily pass for a gift bought from a London department store and a rare tree that although mass produced reminds you of the art deco period when radio was in its infancy and gramaphone records blared out in the front room.
New Beginnings
There comes a time when a treasured object should be appreciated by a new generation. So with a heavy heart, Shirley decided to put the tree up for auction. This Christmas item that could have quite been easily discarded and forgotten in a dusty loft, defied the odds and stood the test of time. The much-awaited auction produced a lovely surprise with the Christmas tree being bought by someone in the USA for £3,411 ($4,328). Auctioned at Hansons Auctioneers in Oxfordshire, the estimate on the lot was £60-80 but the 31-inch tree defied expectations. A similar Christmas tree was bought for the same price in Scotland in 1937 and sold for £150 in 2019 and one from Derby for £420 in 2017.
