‘The Unknown Soldier’ tree carving opened in Northampton is hoped to be ‘focal point for future Armistice Days’

On Friday morning (November 11), a tree carving was opened in Northampton and it is hoped it will become “the focal point for future Armistice days”.

‘The Unknown Soldier’, located in the car park between Berrywood Road and St Crispin Drive, was commissioned by Upton Parish Council and work has been carried out on the project since April 2021.

At the opening, representatives from Upton Parish Council and West Northamptonshire Council, and Vice Lord Lieutenant Morcea Walker MBE, were joined by The Royal British Legion Duston & District Branch and St Luke’s Church of England Primary School – who were involved in the project.

In a statement, Upton Parish Council said: “We hope this will be a piece of work that the community can be proud of and a focal point for future Armistice Days.”

Councillor Andrew Holt, assistant chair for Upton Parish Council said: “It’s important to have somewhere for the Upton community to gather and remember, and we’re lucky it’s in a place where a lot of people walk by. It will act as a constant and obvious reminder.”

Upton Parish Council were first given the car park area in 2019, but soon found the tree that stood in the middle to be a risk to the nearby building and infected with fungus.

As work began on removing the tree, one of the Parish Councillors had the idea to carve what remained rather than removing the whole trunk, which saw the beginning of the project in April 2021. Ideas were gathered from the local community, including St Luke’s Primary School.

“We wanted to make sure everyone in the community was engaged and gave them the opportunity to share their thoughts,” said Cllr Holt. “This has snowballed, and it’s the biggest community event that Upton Parish Council has done since my time as part of it.”

The ideas were shared with a chainsaw sculptor, Peter Leadbeater, who came up with the final idea, and it was landscaper Steve Tee who undertook the wall works to help frame the carving. The work commenced in July this year, and it was finally opened to the public on November 11.