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Shakespeare knew of this, using the trees name in "As You Like It". Rosalind tells the clown, Touchstone; "You'll be rotten ere you be half ripe, and that's the right virtue of the medlar". The tree originally came from the Caucasus and was also known as the "medle" or "merle".
Talking of trees, there's a fine specimen of the "monkey-puzzle tree" in Chapel Road, according to the present occupier the house, not the tree, is coming up for its centenary, the tree being planted when the house "Merry Gardens" was built. incidentally, "merry" is also the old name for a cherry, the black one. Was there a cherry orchard on the site? (Ed. Yes we understand there was originally)
Incidentally this tree, to give it its correct name "Chilean Pine", is a male. There's another one in Charmwen Crescent which is female. Some years ago I obtained some seeds from it, but had no success. As the seeds take two or three years to ripen, perhaps that's the reason. The tree was introduced to Britain in 1795 by an Archibald Menzies a botanist on the "Discovery", he saved some seeds served as a dessert and planted them on board. No originals of these first trees survive as they seldom live longer than a hundred years.
To digress from West End, another interesting tree is the Ginkgo or Maiden Hair tree. Does anyone know of one locally, if so I'd be interested to see it! There is one in Palmerston Park, close to the road, quite a young specimen, easily identified by its fan shaped leaves. Fossilised remains of this tree have been found in coal seams millions of years old. I used to go fossil hunting many years ago and while on holiday in Scarborough I was going along the shore road below the castle when I noticed what appeared to be blobs of oil on the sandstone rocks. Closer investigation revealed clear shapes of Ginkgo leaves, nearby a pillar about 3 feet high turned out to be the trunk of the tree. Being a lot harder than its surrounds and also because of its various colours, it hadn't weathered away. I had some good specimens from here. In Japan the fruits are roasted and used as a hang-over cure!
Another time, on the Isle of Wight below the cliffs of Freshwater Bay I spotted similar tar like marks, I couldn't identify them, possibly beech leaves, nearby was the trunk of a tree stretching out horizontally on the ground, this was virtually like charcoal, but harder, so I presume this was where the leaves came from.
I've a couple of interesting trees in my own garden, one a Korean Pine with blue cones, the other an Acer, known as the snake bark tree for its ornamental bark.

REMINDER!!! - West End Carnival is on Saturday June 21st. The Society is having a stand on Hatch Grange and we will have a Bric-a-Brac stall as well as a Treasure Hunt competition to raise money for the Society - please give any donated bric-a-brac to a Committee member.

West End Sunday School Outing 1928 - Photo courtesy of Miss G. Browning.

What we would like to know is where was this Sunday School Outing to?  Do you recognise anyone in the picture?