Now in its 99th year, Christmas tree has been put up in eight homes and even survived a World War II bomb.
Thought to be Britain’s oldest artificial tree, Kay Ashton thought her beloved tree might not take pride of place this year after it went missing in a house move.
Kay, 65, downsized from her three-bedroom house to a flat earlier this year.
When she came to unpack the tree, she couldn’t find it – but luckily it was found just in time for the festive season.
Kay said: ‘I downsized from a three-bedroom house to a smaller flat and stayed with my daughter temporarily and it was only this week I managed to find it.
‘I kept saying to Becky “I can’t find William’s Tree”. She insisted it was at my house but I could not find it anywhere.
‘I had another look at Becky’s house and I was on my hands and knees looking everywhere.
‘I finally came across it under Becky’s bed.’
Kay’s grandmother Elizabeth Naylor bought the tree for sixpence from Woolworths in 1920 and she named it ‘William’s tree’ to mark her newborn son’s first Christmas that year.
Sadly, he died in 1940, aged 19 and the tree became a memorial to him.
Elizabeth – known as Nanan – died in 1981 aged 80 and the tree was inherited by her daughter, Joyce Ashton.
When Joyce died in 2012. Kay became the third generation to own it.
It still takes pride of place, with its original 1920s trimmings, and they traditionally put it up in the first week of December.
Grandmother-of-three Kay said: ‘It’s nice to put it up every year. I remember it from being a child and it evokes memories of Christmases with family members that are no longer with us.
‘We were a big family, but we were close and I lived with my Nanan and her half-sister, my mum, dad and my sister, so there were six of us.
‘It was a time when we were all together and it goes up year.
‘We were very close and Nanan loved the tree and looked after it, so it’s nice to keep it going to keep her memory alive. I do it for her.
‘I think my Nanan would be really touched to know the tree is still going strong and being used – and so would William.’
The tree incredibly survived a blitz of Sheffield’s steelworks in December 1940 when the city was bombarded by the Luftwaffe for three consecutive nights.
When the air raid went off, the family were told to leave the house but instead they went down into the cellar, putting a heavy wrought iron mangle against the back door to keep it closed.
Kay added: ‘When a bomb was dropped across the road, the force blew the back door open, and the mangle went flying across the room and into the tree.
‘When they came back upstairs, the living room was a mess – with the tree lying in the middle of it.
‘The top of it had nearly come off and it’s been bent ever since, but it was fixed with Sellotape and wire – some of the original bits of tape are still on the tree and I daren’t take them off.’
It’s not the only time the tree has almost been destroyed.
Kay added: ‘Sheffield was hit by awful gales, people were even killed when buildings collapsed.
‘I remember being at my Nanan’s house, and she asked my mother to close the back door.
‘But before we knew it, the tree had gone flying across the room and almost into the fire.
‘She cried: “The bloody tree nearly went into the fire’ and it made us all laugh.’
Kay added: ‘I can’t imagine it not being around. It hasn’t been the best looked after in all these years, but it has survived eight house moves and the blitz, so it must be robust somewhere.’
Let’s hope it makes it to 100 next year!
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