The future of the original Bramley apple is looking uncertain after the property where it survives has been put on the open market.
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has owned the Bramley Cottages since 2018 using it for student accommodation.
However, the home in Church Street, Southwell, Nottingham, has now been put up for sale with an asking price of £400,000.
The tree is more than 200 years old and was planted from seed by Mary Ann Brailsford in the early 1800s.
Almost 50 years later, 17-year-old Henry Merryweather stumbled across the apples and the new variety of Bramleys was discovered.
Over the years, NTU had looked after the tree and now say they will try to find a ‘responsible custodian’ to care for the ailing plant, which has honey fungus.
With the house going onto the open property market and with the tree being situated in a private garden, it is unclear how simple this will be.
As there is no tree protection order in place, despite prior efforts to do so, the new owners could decide to chop it down with no consequences.
The Bramley apple tree is more than 200 years old and was planted from seed by Mary Ann Brailsford in the early 1800s
Since its designation as one of Britain’s most treasured trees, the tree has been the focus of campaigners who have closely monitored its health because it is on private property
Celia Stevens, 85, granddaughter of Henry Merryweather said: ‘They fail to recognise what it has done over the years, it has helped feed troops, bring tourists over, and people just think it’s a cooking apple.
‘We are very fortunate to have anything of this nature. My great-grandfather found this apple, bred it, and it became one of the most celebrated culinary apples ever produced.
‘It has a value commercially, but it has a value as an ancient tree that brings value to Nottinghamshire, and it just needs the respect of people who understand and love such things to give it as long a life as it can have.
‘It’s done a great deal for Southwell, it’s very special, and it still is to this day.’
Ms Stevens has issued a call to action to all parties interested in saving the tree, hoping to raise enough funds to cover the £400,000 asking price to preserve it.
Since its designation as one of Britain’s most treasured trees, it has been the focus of campaigners who have closely monitored its health because it is on private property.
The campaigners and family of Henry Merryweather have since taken grafts, raised money for the tree’s maintenance and put pressure on Nottingham Trent University to look after it.
Ms Stevens continued: ‘It’s remarkable for a tree to be over 200 years old, okay, it’s in its failing years, but that isn’t the point, it still grows apples, it grew them last year, and I have one in my fridge.
‘They fail to recognise what it has done over the years, it has helped feed the troops over the years, it has helped bring tourists over, and people just think it’s a cooking apple.
‘I tried for years to get a tree protection order on it, and the owners throughout the years stopped me from doing it.’
Ms Stevens has issued a call to action to all parties interested in saving the tree, hoping to raise enough funds to cover the £400,000 asking price to preserve it.
Since its designation as one of Britain’s most treasured trees, it has been the focus of campaigners who have closely monitored its health because it is on private property.
The campaigners and family of Henry Merryweather have since taken grafts, raised money for the tree’s maintenance and put pressure on Nottingham Trent University to look after it.
While the tree was listed as one of the 50 Great British Trees selected by the Tree Council of 2002 in honour of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and again in 2022 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, it does not have any legal protection, meaning that the custodian of the property could – in theory – cut the tree down despite its historical significance.
Dan Llywelyn Hall, an artist who has been campaigning and fundraising for the tree, said: ‘In that interim period, while the property is on the market, who has the duty of care for it? It is a tree of national importance; there should be a mechanism to protect it.
‘We are hoping that the current custodians of it make sure it’s safeguarded.. Frankly, they haven’t done a great job.
‘We have a major concern that someone comes along with absolutely no interest in it, then that would be tragic.
‘We are hoping that as soon as the interested party comes in, we can get into a dialogue about how we can help and intervene and give it a better ending to its life and really raise its profile in Southwell, as even to most of the residents it’s slightly unheard of.
‘If one thing could happen at the end of its life its that the Bramley in some ways can give that precedent of how trees of such national importance are looked after, it’s in danger of being cut down to the stump without any recourse, it should be something that should be celebrated and not dwindling away in a back garden.
‘It was always an inconvenience to the university, they have done as little as they can possibly can, the garden is very unloved, something we have been trying to draw attention to, they have been irresponsible and they can now see it’s been a poisoned chalice.’
In response to the campaigners’ concerns with the sale of the property, a Nottingham Trent University spokesperson said: ‘NTU is proud to have been the latest custodian of the Bramley apple tree and to have played a part in helping to safeguard and celebrate its legacy.
‘Due to their age and configuration the cottages are not as suitable as other NTU-owned accommodation and there is also an adequate amount of high-quality student accommodation on the Brackenhurst Campus itself.
‘The university aims to ensure that the tree will remain in the care of a responsible custodian and to also support them with guidance on how to care for the tree moving forward.
‘We have worked hard to maintain it in the most careful and appropriate way for a tree of this age and condition.’We were visited by an independent tree specialist last year who paid tribute to the work we have done to both maintain and celebrate it.
‘We reached out individually to people in Southwell with a special connection to the tree before the cottages were listed for sale and again people expressed support for the work we have undertaken.’
