Remarkably, virtually all living Flower of Kent apple trees can be traced back to the humble tree on the grounds of Woolsthorpe Manor. Newton Trees on University campuses around the worldįlower of Kent apples were never widely cultivated, and nowadays they are extremely rare. Today, the tree remains firmly rooted in the garden of Woolsthorpe Manor, which is now managed by the National Trust. Typically the ‘clones’ are considered a new plant, but in the case of the gravity tree, it seems that the rerooted tree was a much larger trunk, and it’s considered to be the same tree. This process can make it unclear when exactly one tree’s life ends and another begins. When new roots start growing from the base, it can be replanted. Rerooting is a process that involves taking a branch or clipping of a living tree and placing it into water for a long period of time. Newton’s Tree with Woolsthorpe Manor behind – photo by Arthurmarris Fortunately, a large part of the tree was able to be saved and rerooted in the same garden. Pieces of broken wood were taken to make small trinkets and boxes. Visitors came to find the tree lying on the ground. Newton’s tree continued to grow on the grounds until 1820, when a storm blew down the aging trunk. There are varieties for eating raw, cooking into pies, making jams and compotes, as well as bitter and sour apples for cider. Apples have been cultivated for thousands of years, but in recent centuries their taste has become something of an art form.

With more than 7500 types of apples recorded, the competition is tough. As its name suggests, the ‘Flower of Kent’ apple tree originates from Kent, England, and was cultivated as a cooking apple.īy today’s standards, the Flower of Kent apples are not particularly tasty. The tree was first planted more than 400 years ago. When he first shared the story, there was little doubt as to the which tree inspired the epiphany, as only one apple tree was growing in his garden. occasion’d by the fall of an apple, as he sat in a contemplative mood.” “After dinner, the weather being warm, we went into the garden, & drank thea under the shade of some apple trees… he told me, he was just in the same situation, as when formerly, the notion of gravitation came into his mind…. It would be another 20 years before he published his law of universal gravitation in the landmark book Principia.Ī year before his death, he confirmed the account with his eventual biographer William Stukeley. One fateful day in 1666, he observed an apple fall from the tree, and began to think about the force that pulled it to the ground, and how that force applied to larger objects such as the moon and other planets. While there, he continued to experiment with light and motion. While still a student at Cambridge University, an outbreak of the bubonic plague temporarily closed the university and sent him home for 4 years. Surprisingly, the reality is not too far off. The legend goes that Newton was sitting beneath the tree when an apple fell and struck him on the head, sparking the a-ha moment and discovery of gravity.

Isaac newton apple tree