Memorial hope for 300-year-old Crawley tree toppled by Storm Austen
It is hoped that a historic lime tree – brought down during Storm Austen in Crawley – could be commemorated with a memorial or replacement planting.
Richard Symonds, of The Ifield Society, wants to explore ways of marking the loss of the landmark, which stood opposite The Plough pub in Ifield Street before falling on Friday afternoon, October 23.
The small-leaved lime, believed to have been around 300 years old, was a familiar feature of the village and the starting point for his Saturday morning walks around the parish.
“You take it for granted that these trees just will stay there all the time,” he said.
Mr Symonds said walkers had simply assumed it would always be there. Its sudden loss has since prompted renewed interest in the village’s history.
He intends to approach The Plough’s landlord to discuss whether something could mark the spot.
“I think it’s worthy of some kind of memorial,” he said, suggesting a sapling as another possibility.
No arrangements have yet been agreed.
The falling tree damaged a garden wall, but The Plough and nearby Old Plough Cottage escaped damage. Nobody was reported injured.
Mr Symonds said the direction in which it fell was fortunate, as it could otherwise have caused serious damage to nearby buildings.
Questions about its history include a theory that it was planted to help mask smells from a butcher’s shop opposite.
Mr Symonds said its sweet-smelling summer flowers might have acted as a natural air freshener, although he stressed that the reason for its planting was uncertain.
According to Mr Symonds, Harrow Cottage was formerly the butcher’s premises, and its resident has preserved an old shop sign, previously displayed in the garden and now kept inside.
The cottage stands near Old Plough Cottage, which formerly served as the village pub.
Mr Symonds said the lime may have witnessed centuries of change as a once-bustling village became part of Crawley.
He described the short stretch of Ifield Street around the pub and St Margaret’s Church as a place rich in local history, with traces of village life surviving despite modern development around it.
For him, the loss highlights the importance of preserving Ifield’s remaining historic character.
Separately, West Sussex County Council said its highways team responded to 201 emergency incidents between Thursday evening, October 22, and Monday morning, October 26, as two named storms hit the county.
These included 195 fallen trees, two carriageway floods, two highway voids and two traffic signal faults.
The council said it increased its usual weekend emergency response resources ahead of the forecast severe weather, with out-of-hours safety crews and tree surgeons attending incidents.
Erika Woodhurst-Trueman, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We try to prepare for adverse weather as best we can to ensure the road network is kept clear, and our residents can get where they need to be.
“This most recent episode of stormy weather resulted in the highest number of highway emergencies faced since February 2026, with the scale of the response clearly demonstrating the amount of effort that our teams put into both responding to and dealing with clearing up the damage caused.”