NEW life has been breathed into a 250-year-old tree through the creation of an intricately carved dragon sculpture.

The lime tree at The Garden House’s was brought down by a storm in 2022 and has been transformed by chainsaw wielding sculptor Scott Elson into Ember the dragon - a new attraction at the garden.

The tree was one of three treasured trees brought down in the storm which formed an 18th century avenue planted by the village vicar to commemorate his ten surviving children in the mid 1700s; the mighty limes formed a magnificent avenue along the footpath from the garden to the village church. 

Nick Haworth, head gardener at The Garden House, said: “Losing three of our  historic limes trees overnight was a huge shock to lovers of the Garden House. We wanted to create something to delight future visitors and Scott’s dragon sculpture is a wonderful new feature of the garden. 

“It has been fascinating watching Ember emerge from the trunk as Scott’s vision became reality. Now we have a stunning new feature in the garden to delight current and future visitors for years to come.”

Scott, from Ashburton-based Scott's Chainsaw Carvings, spent over a week painstakingly creating the dragon. Emerging from the tree trunk, the creation includes a seat with views over the garden. A children’s competition was held to name the dragon. Ember will feature in an illustrated book about dragons. Over spring half-term week The Garden House holds a children’s dragon activity week to include live action role characters.