Old Bean Tree

Earlier this year I put up a photo of this wonderful old Indian Bean Tree (Catalpa bignonioides) outside Rochester Cathedral...

 

My sister Clare sent me a cutting from the local paper.  Apparently it is 140 years old and is on the site of a graveyard with tombstones in memory of the Dorrit family, thought to be the inspiration for Charles Dickens' novel Little Dorrit.

Apparently the tree is suffering and requires £22,000 to be spent on replacing the props which hold it up with cable bracing, replacing the railings and decompacting around the roots and taking up the grass and replacing it with a mulch.

The campaign to raise the funds is being led by Cllr Sue Haydock and anyone who feels like making a contribution can contact her on 01634 811172.