Garden housing original Bramley apple tree sold

A garden housing the original Bramley apple tree has been sold to the owners of a neighbouring property.

It was sown by Mary Ann Brailsford in the garden of her parents' home in Church Street, Southwell, between 1809 and 1815.

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) said it was "supporting the new custodians with advice on how to care for the Bramley, which has outlived its natural lifespan by quite some time".

Artist Dan Llywelyn Hall, who unveiled paintings of the tree in 2024 and co-founded a campaign to buy the cottage, said people "are gobsmacked" by the agreement.

The importance of the Bramley tree was not recognised for nearly half a century after its planting, when 17-year-old Henry Merryweather came across a gardener carrying some of the apples and asked where they had been grown.

By this time, the garden containing the apple tree belonged to a butcher called Matthew Bramley, who gave the teenager permission to take cuttings, before the fruits became a cooking staple.

In a statement, NTU said it was "delighted" the owners of Bramley Tree Cottage now had "custodianship of the tree", adding it was providing advice on how to care for it.

"Historically, the Bramley was in [the cottage's] garden, so it is great to be able to support the return to its original home," a spokesperson added.

"NTU has also undertaken steps for the transfer of the garden to contain specific obligations to ensure the continued maintenance, preservation and care of the Bramley, as well as continued public access for events.

"The university-owned cottage, previously used for student accommodation, remains listed for sale."

Campaigners had raised £14,000 from more than 320 donations around the world to try and buy the tree and convert it into a heritage site for tourists and an educational facility.

Llywelyn Hall said he was informed by the university the garden had been bought privately.

"It is a very sad day for our ancient heritage trees," he said.

"It has been failed by all the institutions and now [NTU], ironically a uni of environment and agriculture, have done this."

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