Overview
- Press Association images show a distinctive crab apple in Epping Forest near Barn Hoppitt and Warren Pond that coverage identifies as the model for Crabapple Cottage.
- Jill Barklem’s son and daughter visited the site and said its shape and setting matched their mother’s original inspiration for the drawings.
- The City of London Corporation, which manages the forest, welcomed the link as a cultural asset and highlighted the tree’s place within protected ancient woodland.
- The tree is over 300 years old and is believed to be the forest’s only pollarded crab apple, with pollarding meaning cutting upper branches to spur new growth and manage size.
- A Brambly Hedge trail with Mr and Mrs Apple sculptures opened last October, giving fans a clear way to visit the area and likely boosting interest in the site’s care.