Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1909-01-09
FAMOUS LONDON TREE
The Cause OF Several Hard
Fought Legal Battles.
ITS SITE WORTH MILLIONS.
But the Lawyers Never Have Been
Able to Break Through the Phaianx
Of Legal Enaetments That Preserve
the Old Landmark In Cheapside.

If five dollar gold pieces filled the entire
trunk and five dollar bills 1uttered in
place of every one of the leaves il
would not buy the terra firma it occu-
pies, for the land on which it stands,
the northwest corner of Wood street
and Cheapside, is worth S4,50OO00 an
acre. The tree has stood on the spot
for more than 200 years, while its site
has augmented in value to almost fab
ulous proportions.
There have been several hard fought
lawsuits over this plot of ground, the
fight having been carried even to the
house of lords. But so far the lawyers
never have been able to break through
the phalanx of legal enactments which
preserve the tree. In the first place.
there is law in England which pro
hibits builders from putting up Il
structure which shall keep out the
. light from windows which bear the
mysterious words ancient lights.
This tree In CheapSide literally is sur
rounded by number of ancient
lights" proprietors whose consent new
or has been obtained when 1t came
to cutting down the tree and putting
a modern structure on its site. For
! the same reason the storekeeper who
rents the tiny two story structure on
the corner just in front OF the tree
never has been able to put his build
! Ing NJ beyond its present height.
Some years ago one builder who
thought himself more cute" than the
others started to take the law into his
own hands and put up building.
| thinking to arrange" with the owners
of the ancient lights afterward. But
he was met with Il perfect shower
of injunctions, proceedings, wrlts and
! Indictments. more than would have
/ covered the tree In It's full spring
J bloom, and It il said he never has been
/ able To pay the thousands OF dollars Of
law costs which his little experiment
/ resulted in.
\ few years ago some gardeners
were ordered to Top of certain limbs OF
| the tree which hung over Cheapslde.
| II was done really to save the life OF
| the tree aud with the consent OF the
parish clerk and churchwardcns of 81.
Peters. ChcapsIde the ancient little
! Norman church in Foster lane, near by.
who guard this tree from the vandais'
clutches When the men began to
work on the tree, however, it created
Il big sensation In CheapSide. They
are choppng down our tree" went up
from thousand angry threats in the
district. Policemen were called. and
doubtless there would have been an
other shower Of wrilS, iniunctlCns and
proceedings had not the minister OF
the parish explained the real reason
for the Topping operations.
Another almost impossible barrier
which protects the tree in its position
Is the fact that It grows in sacred
ground There is law in London that
no building can be erected on sacred
ground without special act of parlia-
ment, and woe bctidc the unhappy
man who dareS to put up even Il shan
~ within the sacred precincts of a
graveyard in England
This particular corner Of Cheapslde
has been immortalized by Words
worth
At the corne, of Wood street when day
light appears
There's a thrush that sings aloud. II has
sung for three years
This bird was wont to perch in the
now famous tree, and 1t attracted the
attention of Wordsworth, who used to
breakfast In little shop near by. As |
far back as the year l302-just hun
dred years before Mr. Columbus dis |
covered America another tree stood |
In this graveyard and is spoken Of by |
Chaucer:
That whatsoever ploynes II away.
He shall have Chrystis' curse for aye
The tree is therefore direct de-
scendant Of perhaps the oldest tree on |
record in England, and 1t may almost |
be described as an English institution
This particular portion of Chcapside
is back OF the general postoftice and
is one of the finest pieces of real es
tate IN the world. With the tremen-
dous difficulties that stand in the way
Of its being built over-the sanctity OF
the land itself and the power OF the
ancient lights" statute-it is prob
able that this piece Of ground will re.
main "unimproved" for another cen
fury or two. In a recent interview the
manager of the real estate agents who
control nearly all the land in the dis
trlct declared that "the old tree in
Cheapside occupies position which Is
likely never be built upon" There
would be perfect howl OF execratiOn
from all sides IL any one were to at
tempt to put up modern building
there, for Wood street itself Is so
narrow that the people on both sides
OF the street have a right to claim
ancient lights" and the builder who
went In for improving this property
would have to square" so many peo-
pie that he would never be able to get
any profit out of the building.-New
York Press