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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > The Ship Inn Dunwich Suffolk Champion Fig tree
 
 


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Dave

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 

I ran across these photos while searching the web how old do you think this tree is?  
 1.jpg  2.jpg  3.jpg  4.jpg 


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Rewton

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
I have no idea but it is interesting (given a thread started by Suzi recently) that it appears to be growing about one foot from the foundation of that old building!
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Steve MD zone 7a
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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
I was thinking the same thing!  Do you see how close that is to the house?  Wow!  BUT it's in the cold climate area where they all have basements....  just saying.........  :-)

What a neat tree!  I've passed a few dormant ones that are all gnarled like this and wonder if they are figs.  Time will tell!  Almost spring!

Suzi
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BronxFigs

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Unbelievable photos.  I never thought a common, fig tree could live so long.  I did a quick check, and as near as I can tell, Dunwich, Suffolk area has a similar climate to Zone 7B in the USA.  I could be missing something, climate wise.  Maybe England has very mild, winter weather...but still, that's an old tree.

Thanks for the photos.

Frank
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Maro2Bear

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 

Greetings.

I can't speak exactly for the Suffolk area, but central England counties like Suffolk on the east side have relatively mild winters, an occasional frost, and rarer snow. I lived up near Harrogate, Yorkshire County for many years and we only had a hand full of snow days, with a few frosty days, but never anything that really froze. I had hanging baskets full of winter pansies that bloomed all winter, spring long.

Now, for how old this particular tree is, the pub's web site is saying 300 years old.

Now a quiet, idyllic village, surrounded by nature reserves, heathland and beach, only the romantic ruins of Dunwich monastery remain to hint at the fate of this once thriving medieval port claimed by the waves during a terrible storm. It's said you can still hear the peal of the church bells beneath the waves. While we can't guarantee that, there are certain, more earthly things we're always happy to provideâ?¦ real ales, real food and a real fire. You will find: a great pub, home-cooked food in our restaurant, a cosy hotel with comfortable, traditionally furnished bedrooms, some with views across the sea or marshes. There is also an enormous garden, dotted with fruit trees (including our 300 year old fig tree) and a beach that really is just a couple of minutes walk away.
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Mark B., Glenn Dale, MD Zone 7a
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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Wonderful looking fig tree.
One can notice the nodal swelling characteristic on the smaller branches also.
Thanks for sharing those pictures.
FiggyFrank

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Amazing.  Lots of character!
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Frank
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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Magnificent
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Dale
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ForeverFigs

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Is there any historical data as to the possible variety of this fig tree?
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Vince
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Maro2Bear

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 

greetings

Just so we all don't overload the owner, ive gone ahead and emailed asking for more info and tree type and will post back if I hear.

In the meantime I'm now confused.....in one part of the web it is described as 300 years old, but in a different secion -600!!!

A visitor to Dunwich with a love of the great outdoors will never be bored. The village is blessed with a series of walks that can all be accessed on foot from The Ship but one sight not to be missed lies in the pub garden and the winter months are perhaps the best time to see it. At 600 years old the fig tree at The Ship is officially the oldest known example in England, it is gnarly, magnificent and a true treasure.

So, no one probably knows really how old!
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Dave

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
I can't believe they don't have a picture of the tree on their website there's one picture of it on their facebook page "I wonder what variety it is" 

 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ship-at-Dunwich/121059871303296
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hungryjack

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Where are the figs ?

First picture looks like fall,
should be a fig or two left on the tree,
but I don't see any.

?
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Ingevald

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 

This is a very interesting find and I appreciate seeing another interesting fig planting in England. This fig is in Dunwich, about 100 miles northeast of London on the English Channel coastline.  

  I made a recent posting about the Tarring Fig Gardens near Worthing.  These are located straight south of London on the coast.

 The "Reculver Fig" from the Roman fort at Reculver is located almost straight east of London on the coast near the City of Canterbury. 

  The Chiswick Fig Collection (also mentioned in a recent posting) is located in London and can't find evidence that figs are still growing on the property.

   I just find all of this information about figs in England very interesting.   These few localities interestingly are located on the southeast coastal zone along the English Channel. 

   From what I was reading about the fig plantings around Worthing is that figs have been there for a long time and in that older literature I was reading, the figs were old then.   It makes me wonder what is still around.   Those ancient gnarly trees are quite beautiful.

  Keep the information and photos flowing.   

Thanks,
Ingevald
Maro2Bear

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 

Greetings All

The inn has replied, but our searh continues!

Greetings from Suffolk,

Unfortunately we are unsure of exactly what type of fig tree ours is.

All we know is that it's about 600 years old and still fruits and that the local deer population are quite partial to stripping the bark from it.

I'm sorry I couldn't be any more help on this matter.

Kind regards
Karen B.
The Ship Inn Dunwich
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Mark B., Glenn Dale, MD Zone 7a
hungryjack

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 

Impressive tree.

Tried finding a date for the structure, can't find one.

Based on the use of bricks in the lower part of the wall,
it would date this structure to later than the 1700's.

Larger bricks higher in the wall  show reconstruction at some
point, size of brick would indicate an age no earlier than 1785,
and most likely mid 1800's.
You can determine the age of buildings in the UK by brick size.

Tree would have been planted AFTER the building was built,
so this tree is probably closer to 200-300 years of age,
than the claimed 600 years.

Either way, impressive tree.

Would be interesting to know the color of the figs when ripe.
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Big Apple/Fig, New York 6B
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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Hi All

Great to see so many people chatting about our lovely old fig tree. I am its current guardian along with the pub in which it stands. The Ship at Dunwich http://www.shipatdunwich.co.uk 

Its difficult to say how old the tree is but we think somewhere around 300 years old but it could easily be more. I will be checking the info we have on our website to make sure we are quoting this date so thanks for that feedback.

The tree itself is a real beauty and although it does produce literally hundreds of figs we have never seen one ripen and become edible, a great shame for us as we are really into our food here. Dunwich is right on the East coast of Suffolk in the UK and although we do have reasonable summers it snow ever year and recently has seen winter lows of -5! The local red deers like to nibble the bark in the depths of winter (hence the fence) but it doesn't seem to bother the old fig at all. She is still growing with new saplings springing up each year and has exceptional foliage from Spring to the end of summer, its just starting to bud now. I will get some up to date photos taken and share them with you all. I will also see if I find out any more info on its age. One thing for sure is she is well looked after!

Matt Goodwin
The Ship as Dunwich
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M Goodwin
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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
Oh and the figs stay green and go the usual reddish/purple colour as they attempt to ripen

Matt
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Posted Reply with quote  #18 
Matt...welcome to the Forum...lots of good things going on here...glad to have you on board.  :)
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Vince
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Maro2Bear

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Posted Reply with quote  #19 

Can't wait to see new, updated pictures! And the discount for a weeks stay for Figs4Fun members. B/B, good food, drink, and a fig cutting to take with on departure!
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Mark B., Glenn Dale, MD Zone 7a
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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
Sounds like it's a Smyrna fig tree, needing caprification (pollination) to set the fruit.
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Sue
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Posted Reply with quote  #21 
Matt, thanks for stopping by!
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Posted Reply with quote  #22 
Looks like the building has been there since early 1800s at least.

http://pubshistory.com/Suffolk/Dunwich/BarneArmsl.shtml
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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
Hee, Hee Hee....I can just imagine someone about 300 years ago saying "I'm really busy, so I'll just plant this little fig tree here temporarily and move it next year when I have more time".  Before you know it, you have *that* thing.  I can't be the only one who does that... ;-)
Jim
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Posted Reply with quote  #24 
In the village of Pilton, Somerset, UK there is/was a fig tree I visited which the owner said was 500 years old. The tree was huge with its sprawling branches supported by posts. It was just down the hill from the small chapel for anyone looking to do a UK fig pilgrimage. It's said that King Arthur is buried nearby in Glastonbury and there are a few remnants of Roman roads in the area...
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Posted Reply with quote  #25 
Truly an amazing looking tree! hungryjack if you zoom in on the first photo you can see lots of unripe figs..
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Dan
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Posted Reply with quote  #26 
I see a bunch of figs in the top right of the first pic, all near the top.
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Posted Reply with quote  #27 

OK, figured out the problem,
one of my monitors needed replacing,
image quality became very bad and difficult to see.

Replaced it with a 26" monitor
and I can see figs !  lol  :-)
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Posted Reply with quote  #28 
I had missed this posting. This is an amazing tree! thanks for sharing it.
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Grasa
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