Jasper explains:

'The background is that Samuel Robinson had the winning bid for the cutting at a Christ Church fundraiser some 18 years ago. He soon realised the flaw in his strategy: his New York apartment was rather ill-suited to the long-term growth of a horse chestnut. He therefore made the very generous gift of the tree to us.

Deputy Development Director Simon Offen (1986) and his wife came to the house for a Christ Church planting ceremony, followed by a very enjoyable lunch. As you can see, the tree is thriving and has become a wonderful addition to the garden. We hope that one day it will grow to rival the Alice tree itself, and we feel very honoured to have this connection with it.

We have two Persian cats, one of whom can do a passable impression of the Cheshire Cat, although we have yet to see her climb the tree.'