In Delville Wood – or ‘Devils Wood’, as it was known to the British Army – the ‘Last Tree’ is the only surviving Hornbeam tree in the former battleground, sitting in the middle of what is now a World War I memorial.

The Delville Wood Hornbeam tree represents what a resilient workplace should be. Both tough and adaptable, the tree attracts an array of wildlife, providing shelter and nesting sites for birds and small mammals.

The Hornbeam tree is well equipped for punishing conditions. It yields a hard timber that rarely cracks or splits, giving it the nickname ‘ironwood’ or ‘musclewood’. The tree is able to thrive on most soils, and retains its withered and dead leaves to stop predation from nearby animals, protecting the young and juicy buds beneath.

These magnificent trees have a variety of uses. They can be used in a herbal steam bath to treat rheumatism, or, when boiled, the bark can be used to bathe sore muscles. An infusion of the bark relieves the pain of toothache.

In myths from around the world, ‘ironwood’ trees appear as ladders between worlds, as sources of life and wisdom, and as the physical forms of supernatural beings. Some myths tell us that these trees are immortal.