The White Tree.

The White Tree and its roundabout are on a busy road junction on Durdham Down. The roundabout was constructed in the 1950s, but the name appears to date back to the 19th century. For a short period in 1908, the White Tree was the terminus of the tram before the line was extended to Westbury, a mile or so further out of town. There have been several white trees at the junction, either a silver birch or a tree with a trunk painted white. One white tree was demolished to make way for the roundabout. The next white tree, an elm, was cut down during the 1970s outbreak of Dutch elm disease. The current incumbent is a lime and is repainted early each year, the evidence is still on the grass around its base.

If you Google "White Tree", you will find a garage, a dental practice, a roundabout, a nursery school and even a pilates class but little about the tree itself. The story is, that a member of the landed gentry used to drive his pony and trap home from the pub late in the evenings and, because of the extent of his bucolic state, would often miss the left turn at this junction. He had the tree painted white as a landmark that could be seen even on a foggy night.

Personally, I would have thought that any self respecting pony would have more savvy than his inebriated owner and would know his own way home; but that's the legend, not many Bristolians know about it and I'm darned if I can find any reference to it, although there is a white tree in Avalon, according to Arthurian legend, which Tolkien transplanted to Gondor for "Lord of the Rings."

Google is not all it's cracked up to be.