Nostalgia: Branching out for a perfect tree

Published on Saturday 15 November 2008 10:04

We take a look at some of the bygone Christmas conifers that have sprouted up in the Capital

IT'S been a week for trees. Firstly, after a weekend of SAS-style manoeuvres, involving abseiling from the ceiling, to fix the decorations in place, Jenners' Christmas tree was lit up for shoppers.

And it was revealed this week that Edinburgh's most famous Christmas tree, which stands on The Mound, will this year come from the Scottish Borders rather than Norway.

For more than 20 years a tree from Norway has made the 780-mile journey to Edinburgh, a gesture of thanks for the support Scotland gave the Scandinavian nation during the Second World War.

But this year, in an eco-friendly move, the tree will make the shorter trip from the Duke of Buccleuch's estate in the Scottish Borders – although the cost is being met by the Norweigians.

Which should make it all the easier for those charged with transporting the tree – because as our main picture here shows, travelling with a Christmas tree can be a tricky business.

In this case, our Christmas shopper was stopped from boarding a bus with a rather large fir in December 1968. Perhaps he would have had a more sympathetic response if he'd been able to fold his tree up like a children's buggy – or there again, perhaps not!

Certainly transporting trees, whatever their size, is a tricky business – it really doesn't look as if this 40ft tree is going to fit through the doors of Jenners back in 1987.

And The Mound tree from 1989 look about the same size as the crane attempting to manoeuvre it into position.

Our would-be bus passenger isn't the only one to have had problems with Christmas trees. Disaster struck in December 1962 when fierce gales saw the tree at The Mound blown over.

Lights, scaffolding and all were left in a tangled heap overnight on the Saturday. The tree was replanted and the lights were replaced on the Monday, December 17, in time for the official switching on ceremony the next day.

Edinburgh got off lightly that weekend with the Christmas tree the only casualty of the storms – in Dumbarton a factory was blown down in a freak whirlwind the same evening.

At least the tree, once it regained its upright position, was a fairly impressive size, which is more than can be said for the festive fir set up outside the Palace Bingo Club in Duke Street, Leith, in December 1967. It was just seven days before the big day when this picture was taken and the sorry-looking tree hadn't even been given any decorations.

Another tree that looks more bonsai than Christmas blockbuster is this example used to spruce up a Laing crane in 1985. Perhaps understandably, the workmen carrying out tasks high above the High Street weren't keen on having a monster nine-footer sharing their limited space – but the help of the crane made this tree the highest in the city.