Endcliffe Park: Hundreds vote on Sheffield's 'favourite tree'

The votes are in - it is Sheffield’s favourite tree.

Some 460 people liked a photo of the huge weeping beech at the entrance to Endcliffe Park with many saying it was their number one - in a city full of notable trees.

Standing just off busy Hunter’s Bar roundabout, and wider than it is tall, for generations it has been a meeting point, a shade and a shelter.

But a big part of its allure is its neatly cropped branches which are just above head height. 

As a tree that naturally grows downwards, like a weeping willow, its branches would be much lower if it wasn’t for the constant attention of park staff led by Darron Lingard.

His handiwork was highlighted by local councillor Barbara Masters.

She said: “This beautiful tree welcomes people into Endcliffe Park at Hunters Bar. It’s a source of constant speculation and interesting theories on why the base of the canopy is so even around. The works team leader for the area has heard many of them and has come up with imaginative suggestions of his own! It’s one of my favourite trees and clearly loved by others, not just because of its aesthetics and the shade it offers. It’s wonderful for engaging children’s interest in trees as they ponder why the branches never grow lower.”

On Friends of Sheffield 11 on Facebook, one member wrote: ‘This is my all time favourite tree and has been for 70 years!’

Another: ’It’s such a stunning tree and really great for the showers we’ve been having recently for a little dry spot underneath’.

And: ‘That tree has got so much wider on top in the last ten years! Amazing!’