Kent's cherry tree blossom links to Japan

As cherry blossom trees are in full bloom across the country, Kent County Council (KCC) has been highlighting Kent's role in the cultivation of the trees in the UK.

In the late 19th Century Algernon Mitford, the grandfather of the famous Mitford sisters, built a seaside house and lived in Westgate-on-Sea.

He had worked for the Foreign Office in Russia, China and Japan and is believed to have brought some of the earliest Japanese cherry trees to England.

"Trees like these are an important part of Kent's character and its history," said Peter Osborne, the council's cabinet member for highways and transport.

"Our role is to care for them so they remain healthy and continue to protect the stories and heritage that have grown here over generations," he added.

Mitford later inherited the Batsford Estate in Gloucestershire and created a wild garden based on his travels.

Since 2002 Batsford Aboretum has held the National Collection of Japanese Flowering Cherries.

KCC said the nationally significant collection could trace its roots back to Kent.

In particular, the local authority claims Westgate‑on‑Sea has a unique place in the history of the trees.

Another of the town's residents, Collingwood Ingram, helped to save a variety of Japanese cherry trees from extinction in the 1920s.

The botanist reintroduced a lost variety, identified as Taihaku, to Japan, further reinforcing Kent's significant links to the tree.

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