Story Book Tree

This carved tree is in Bury Knowle Park, Headington, Oxford.

The trunk of a dead cedar tree in the park was turned into a sculpture by Matt Cave. The sculpture features characters from the books of the Headington authors J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: the dragon Smaug from The Hobbit, Aslan the lion from The Chronicles of Narnia, and the horse from The Horse and His Boy. The plaque at the base of the tree explains a bit more about the sculpture and its sponsors.

Four carved benches have been added around the tree. This one that I photographed has a beaver. The others have a serpent, owls and an eagle.

Within the park is Bury Knowle House. It is a handsome building, built in about 1800. It is now the local Public Library! Here is the photograph that I took of it this afternoon.