TIMBER from a tree planted at Kingston Lacy by the Duke of Wellington has been carved into sculptures to celebrate the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo.
The cedar tree was planted in the grounds of the lavish mansion in 1827, when it was home to the Duke's friend Henry Bankes. It was grown from seeds collected in the Lebanon by Henry's son, William.
William cemented his family's friendship with the 'Iron Duke' while spending time in Wellington's camp during the Peninsular War.
Wood artist Eleanor Lakelin was commissioned to create a special collection of 'sculptural vessels' to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815.
The carvings are now on display in Kingston Lacy's Spanish room, home to the Bankes collection of Spanish art, and are available for sale to fund conservation work at the National Trust-managed property.
Kingston Lacy general manager Andrew McLaughlin said: "It is remarkable to think that a tree planted by the Duke of Wellington lived for so long and that we're now able to use the timber to raise funds for conservation work at a place he visited many times.
"William Bankes was a connoisseur and commissioner of fantastic works of art, so it is appropriate that we've been able to commission an artist as renowned as Eleanor for this fitting tribute to the Battle of Waterloo."
The Wellington cedar formed part of what became an avenue of trees in Kingston Lacy's gardens, including trees planted by King Edward VII, Prince Charles and Kaiser Wilhelm II. The duke's tree had to be felled in 2013.
Eleanor Lakelin, a nominee for the prestigious Perrier-Jouet Arts Salon Prize this year, uses traditional techniques, using only wood felled in south London or elsewhere in the British Isles.
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