Campaigners have hailed a 'miracle' as 'England's best tree' which was felled to make way for HS2 has started growing back.

The 200-year-old champion pear tree was removed to make way for the controversial rail line in 2020.

It was one of the largest in the UK and was voted the best tree in England in a 2015 poll by the Woodland Trust.

The tree in Cubbington, Warwickshire was dug up for HS2 - despite immense opposition from local residents.

The stump and root ball were moved by contractors and replanted in a field around 100m from its original home.

And now to the delight of the community the pear tree has been sprouting new shoots and leaves.

Penny McGregor, whose family owned the woodland where the HS2 rail line now stands, used to see the tree through her kitchen window every morning.

The pear tree, cited as a champion tree in Warwickshire due to its large girth, was positioned on the border of the land which her father has owned for 47 years.

Penny, whose brother has been implementing regenerative farming on the land for nearly a decade, said: "It was a great shame to see the tree go - it has gone for us. "

"But its regrowth has been extraordinary to watch and it shows the power of nature - it just needs the right conditions to thrive."

"It was an absolutely cracking tree with a very amazing blossom."

"The re-growth of the tree is a symbol for the good of nature - everyone seems to want a sapling around the community: in the church, schools, even the village farm shop.'"

"When HS2 moved the tree they didn’t know it was going to survive, but they did their best to make sure the root ball was moved and so had the chance to potentially live on. "

"Luckily they placed it on my side of the rail line so I'm closer it. We had no idea it would regrow - but I was hopeful."

Before the tree was chopped down back residents took cuttings from their beloved shrub.

Paul Labous, a horticulturist at Shuttleworth agricultural college, successfully grafted the cuttings to new rootstock, returning several young trees to the community.

Now, several young trees have been returned to the community and there are now reported to be around 40 of the tree’s saplings around the Cubbington area.

The pear’s offspring have been planted in the churchyard, at two primary schools and in nature reserves and parks farther afield.

According to locals, the champion tree’s stump is regrowing because it had the good fortune to be planted in heavy clay soils that stayed moist during recent dry summers.

The reason the tree could not have been moved as a whole can be explained in a survey on the pear tree back in 2015.

The survey, conducted by Atkins with the collaboration of Civic Trees, read: "The Environment Statement reported that the loss of the veteran pear tree will result in a permanent adverse effect on its conservation status which will be significant at a district/borough level."

"The veteran pear tree is hollow at the base; therefore translocation is extremely unlikely to be successful and is not proposed."

"If the tree is moved, there will be a change in wind dynamics experienced by its crown which is highly likely to increase the risk of failure, especially with the trunk cavities present."

It concluded: "It is concluded that the tree is not suitable for translocation."

Given this ecological evaluation, the survival of the original tree is an unexpected bonus for locals.

Penny admits the tree was "not in a good state" when it was chopped down."

She says the pear tree's shoots are now over six foot, and has been growing steadily three years on from its removal.

Unlike many fruit trees, the original pear was not grafted, so in many years the shoots from its stump should produce the same pears that the ancient tree once did.



Penny admitted these were not "that nice to eat" - but are "great for bats"."

HS2 has followed Labous’s methodology and used a commercial nursery to produce 40 further saplings, which have also been planted in the area.

Amy Middlemist, Landscape Lead at Balfour Beatty VINCI responsibly for the building of HS2 said: "We’re thrilled that the Cubbington pear tree is living on in its new location, within one of HS2’s thriving new habitats for wildlife. "

"Regrowth has happened because the tree’s root system, with the right amount of nutrients, has stored some of the energy produced in photosynthesis and directed it into new growth."

"Over the last three years, we’ve planted 60,000 new trees in 17 hectares of land around South Cubbington Wood, including over six hectares of broadleaved trees linking the habitats of the wood and the River Leam Corridor. "

"We’ve also created seven new ponds which are attracting swallows and swifts and providing homes for newts, frogs and insects."

"We continue to deliver HS2’s ambitious landscape and habitat creation programme in this area, including building two green bridges which will reconnect public footpaths and wildlife corridors."