One of Cranleigh School’s most iconic and oldest landmarks disappeared last week with the felling of Clare’s Oak on Jubilee.
The tree, which was slightly older than the School itself, had been attacked by Honey Fungus and had become unsafe leading to the reluctant decision to fell it. It had been hoped that some of the main trunk could be used to make benches but once it was taken down the extent of the disease became apparent and nothing was salvageable.
The oak, along with its companion tree by the drive on Jubilee, was part of a hedge line that separated two fields. These were made into one large field when the land was bought by the Old Cranleighans in 1913 as a gift to mark the School’s Golden Jubilee two years later.
The tree became known as Clare’s Oak in the 1920s as the master responsible for junior cricket, Ernest ‘Porp’ Clare, used to sit under it and talk to the boys about the game. The junior nets were also close by. The name was kept after he retired in 1936. It also became the name of the field between Jubilee itself and Sanny Lane.
When the Honey Fungus was first detected more than 20 years ago another oak was planted nearby and it is hoped this will in time grow into a sizeable replacement.