A SYCAMORE tree planted more than 120 years ago in Settle to mark the 60th diamond jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria is the subject of a fascinating exhibition.

A series of photographs taken of the ‘Jubilee Tree’ will form an exhibition in The Gallery on the Green - Settle’s de-commissioned and adopted red telephone box, and believed to be the world’s smallest art gallery.

The Heritage phone box, situated on the town’s green, was decommissioned in 2009, adopted by the town and has since been the location of many exhibitions, including part of Settle Stories.

Now, from Saturday, until March 15, it will showcase the photographs of Elaine Sargeson, who has been fascinated with the sycamore tree, which is now fully mature and a dominant feature of the area, and how it changes throughout the seasons, since she moved to Upper Settle 18 years ago.

Elaine has photographed the tree from a variety of angles, including from her bedroom window, during every month of the year, and has also noted how the number of crows and jackdaws making their homes in its branches has gradually fallen to none at all.

“The Jubilee Tree has interested me since I became aware of its majestic beauty the first summer I moved to the green,” she said.

“I noticed walkers often stopped and after reading the plaque, which informs them that the tree was planted in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, they would sit beneath it to enjoy the view of Attermire.”

When she first started observing the tree, she counted up to 15 jackdaw and crows nests each spring.

“This year, for the first time since I moved here, there were none. Gradually the number of nests has dropped, last year there were just two. This spring’s harsh gales and snow possibly stopped the corvids nesting.”

She added: “The Jubilee Tree is a Sycamore. It is late, by most standards, to come into leaf. It appears to lose its leaves overnight in autumn when a sudden wind robs it of its still, green leaves. In winter the tree has a quality of its own, even when the tracery of branches are bare it draws the eye upwards.

“I began to take photos of the tree in January and decided to take at least one a month for a year. Some of the photos are taken from the green and one or two from my bedroom window. One is taken from a friend’s window. I have tried to capture the tree from all angles, in sunshine and in rain, with blue skies and with grey. Sometimes beautiful sunsets have provided the backdrop.”

And, she believes without its Jubilee Tree, the green area would be a different place.

“Let’s hope The Jubilee Tree is still fascinating and pleasing people in another hundred years,” she said.

Entry to the Gallery on the Green is free and is open at all times.