Photo of Fountain Court south tree
LocationFountain Court, Middle Temple
Variety Nigra
AccessPublic
OS grid referenceTQ 31118 80978
Site classNotable, Heritage, 1897
Total mulberries2
Largest height (m)5906cm
Largest girth (cm)146

One of two trees planted to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee on 20 June 1897. Trees leaning over and propped up. Shakespeare's company performed Twelfth Night in 1602 in the presence of Elizabeth I in the nearby Middle Temple Hall. From old photos and postcards it seems that at least one and possibly two other mulberries were planted at the same time (making a total of 4 or 5. Both had stems with a distinct curvature and lean and one was propped up. They were gone by the 1970s. There is no record in the accounts ledgers for 1886-8 of purchasing the trees or doing the re-landscaping around the fountain to accommodate them so they may have been planted later. The Minutes of Parliament for Just 1887 do refer to a Jubilee Memorial plaque for the Middle temple Hall, and a lot of flowers were hired on 15th July, presumably for some kind of service.

Public transport: Temple tube, Thameslink or Blackfriars

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