Campaign Launched to Save 200-Year-Old Bramley Apple Tree

The mother of all Bramley apples is facing an uncertain future, and people across Britain are rallying to save her.

A 200-year-old apple tree in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, stands as the original source of every Bramley apple grown worldwide. Now the cottage where it grows is on the market, and campaigners have launched a nationwide effort to buy the property before it disappears into private ownership.

Mary Ann Brailsford planted this particular tree in her parents' garden sometime between 1809 and 1815. What started as a single seedling has become a British icon, with millions of saplings descended from this very tree producing 83,000 tonnes of cooking apples across the UK each year.

The story gets even better. Almost 50 years after the planting, a 17-year-old boy named Henry Merryweather spotted a gardener carrying some unusual apples. By then, the garden belonged to butcher Matthew Bramley, who allowed Merryweather to take cuttings of what would become the famous "Bramley Seedling."

Artist Dan Llywelyn Hall, who recently painted the historic tree, is co-leading the campaign alongside musician Cerys Matthews. They're crowdfunding £250,000 with help from a local business to purchase the cottage from Nottingham Trent University and transform it into a heritage site and educational facility.

"If we can buy paintings for museums for gargantuan sums, why can't we see these natural wonders as equals and give them due reverence, care and dignity?" Hall asked. He believes saving the tree sends a powerful message about preserving ancient heritage trees as cultural treasures.

The Ripple Effect

The original tree has already earned royal recognition twice, named one of 50 Great British Trees during the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 and dedicated as one of 70 ancient trees for her Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

Celia Stevens, great granddaughter of Henry Merryweather, says the tree deserves public recognition after centuries of service. She notes it's remarkable that a tree affected by honey fungus can still blossom at such an advanced age.

More than 300 growers across England depend on descendants of this single tree for their livelihoods, making it not just a piece of history but a living economic contributor to British agriculture.

The campaign aims to ensure future generations can visit, learn from, and celebrate the tree that changed British baking forever.