Kew Gardens WW1 Verdun bench and Kew Gardens War Memorial

Kew Gardens WW1 bench and Kew Gardens War Memorial

An acorn from the Battle of Verdun
A specimen of Quercus petraea (sessile oak) was planted at Kew in 1919 from an acorn collected after the Battle of Verdun in France, one of the longest fought battles of the First World War. Lasting from February to December 1916 and resulting in over 700,000 French and German casualties, the battle also devastated thousands of hectares of surrounding Verdun oak and chestnut forests.

Mighty oak falls
Sadly this dignified oak tree, which grew for almost 100 years on the edge of the Palm House Pond, was struck during the severe 'St Jude's Day' storm that affected southern England in October 2013.

The tree was subsequently felled, however, determined that this special oak would endure in the Gardens, Kew’s Head of Arboretum, Tony Kirkham, conceived the idea of creating a commemorative outdoor seat from the timber - the Verdun Bench.


The Verdun Bench | Kew