By James Connolly
A Christmas tree, which is one of Britain’s oldest, has been put up for the 105th year in a row – despite being so fragile that a breath is enough to knock it over.
The tiny 18-inch artificial tree, bought from Woolworths for sixpence in 1920, has survived the Blitz, eight house moves and three generations of the same family.
Owner Kay Ashton, 70, from Sheffield, South Yorks., says the century-old decoration is now so delicate it can only be displayed for a few days each year – but insists its battered condition is part of its charm.
The grandmother-of-three said: “It definitely looks its age – but I’m not surprised.
“It’s unbelievable that it has survived, and I’m not just saying that because it lived through the Blitz, I’m talking about all the children, cats and dogs that have come into contact with it.”
The tree was bought by Kay’s grandmother, Elizabeth Naylor, and was inside the family home during the Sheffield Blitz of 1940.
A blast wave from the Luftwaffe threw the decoration across the house, damaging several of its branches, which the family patched back together with tape.
Kay said: “It’s still got its war wounds, which we’ve taped up.
“The history it’s seen is amazing, I’d love to see how Christmas was celebrated throughout its lifetime.”
Now so rickety that simply touching it can send it crashing over, the tree has become a running joke in the family.
Kay said: “It’s a bit of a joke in our family because it’s always falling over. A breath is enough to topple it.
“You couldn’t even begin to contemplate putting lights on it, that’d kill it off.
“The kids and grandkids think it’s hilarious. They ask me ‘is the twig up yet?'”
The world’s oldest artificial Christmas tree belongs to Paul Parker in Chippenham, Wilts., dating back to 1886.
