The Gilded Elm

Two elm trees were planted in Preston Park, Brighton in or about 1613. One of them, the joint oldest English elms in the world lay dead and decaying in a Brighton Council site designated for the disposal of diseased trees. Without an intervention, it would decay and finally disappear or be destroyed (burnt) to prevent it further spreading elm disease. In January 2020, Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva, was asked to take on the tree and its challenges. She was asked to develop a plan to preserve and celebrate this iconic tree, recognizing its historical, educational and environmental importance, then relocating it back on its original location in Preston Park.

The print is an independent work, a vision for how the project will look, and a means of raising funds towards the preservation and gilding.