{"id":34544,"date":"2026-04-22T14:28:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/?p=34544"},"modified":"2026-04-22T14:28:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:28:59","slug":"crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest\/","title":{"rendered":"Crabapple Cottage tree discovered in Epping Forest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The living inspiration for Jill Barklem\u2019s Crabapple Cottage tree in the\u00a0<em>Brambly Hedge<\/em>\u00a0books has been discovered in Epping Forest. The distinctive crabapple tree is thought to be over 300 years old and stands in an area known to be a favourite walking and sketching spot for the author and illustrator. The shape, setting, and surrounding woodland match Jill\u2019s original research sketches and photos used as inspiration for her illustrations.<\/p>\n<p>In the\u00a0<em>Brambly Hedge<\/em>\u00a0books, the tree is home to Mrs and Mrs Apple, and features prominently in\u00a0<em>Spring Story<\/em>, where Jill uses her distinctive cross-section illustration style to capture the interior of the tree in minute detail and the exterior in full blossom.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The crabapple is believed to be the only known pollarded tree of its species in the Forest, it stands near Barn Hoppitt and Warren Pond and is close to the City of London Corporation\u2019s Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford, where a small Brambly Hedge exhibit is on display until September 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The discovery builds on the growing celebration of the books\u2019 connection to Epping Forest and the surrounding landscape. The inspiration for the Hornbeam Tree, home of the Toadflax family, was also discovered in Epping Forest in 2023.\u00a0 Sculptures of the inhabitants of Crabapple Cottage \u2013 Mr and Mrs Apple \u2013 can be found near the start of the Brambly Hedge Trail, which was launched in October 2025. The Trail features 17 carved oak sculptures within the forest.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The living inspiration for Jill Barklem\u2019s Crabapple Cottage tree in the\u00a0Brambly Hedge\u00a0books has been discovered in Epping Forest. The distinctive crabapple tree is thought to be over 300 years old and stands in an area known to be a favourite walking and sketching spot for the author and illustrator. The shape, setting, and surrounding woodland [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34552,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-page-news","category-news-from-the-hedgerow"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Crabapple Cottage tree discovered in Epping Forest - Brambly Hedge - Children&#039;s books and gifts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The living inspiration for Jill Barklem\u2019s Crabapple Cottage tree in the\u00a0Brambly Hedge\u00a0books has been discovered in Epping Forest. 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The distinctive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brambly Hedge - Children&#039;s books and gifts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bramblyhedgeofficial\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-22T13:28:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3c2db353-098e-4dc4-835b-e9ca6985b674.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lizzie Barklem\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bramblyhedge_\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bramblyhedge_\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lizzie Barklem\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lizzie Barklem\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d79a7fff3624bc39d59ea8fcc2e2f31f\"},\"headline\":\"Crabapple Cottage tree discovered in Epping Forest\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-22T13:28:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest\/\"},\"wordCount\":248,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3c2db353-098e-4dc4-835b-e9ca6985b674.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"HOME PAGE NEWS\",\"NEWS FROM THE HEDGEROW\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest\/\",\"name\":\"Crabapple Cottage tree discovered in Epping Forest - Brambly Hedge - Children&#039;s books and gifts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/crabapple-cottage-tree-discovered-in-epping-forest\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/bramblyhedge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3c2db353-098e-4dc4-835b-e9ca6985b674.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-22T13:28:59+00:00\",\"description\":\"The living inspiration for Jill Barklem\u2019s Crabapple Cottage tree in the\u00a0Brambly Hedge\u00a0books has been discovered in Epping Forest. 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