Planning permission has been granted for the artwork, which was developed by renowned British artists Ackroyd and Harvey, as a permanent reminder of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The 10 trees will be the largest in the Olympic Park – reaching up to 18 metres tall – and have been funded by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and Arts Council England

Once planted each tree will have a large ring, engineered from either phosphor bronze or stainless steel and weighing up to 500kg, securely placed in the crown.

The tree branches and ring will slowly fuse together over time.

"The Olympic Park has been built with sustainability at the heart of its design," said ODA chairman, John Armitt.

"These 10 trees will become a strong symbol of the Games and reinforce a commitment to the creation of Britain's largest urban park for over a century.

"They will act as fantastic meeting points for both spectators next summer and visitors for generations to come."

Two of the Games-time trees – a Red Oak and a Silver Lime – were planted over this month with the remaining tree – a Common Ash – arriving early next year.

The metal rings will be fitted next Spring, the trees sourced through a British nursery and selected to reflect the diversity of the wider area and the international spirit of the Games.

The rings will be six metres in diameter and engraved on the interior face with text capturing an archive of history in nine of the ten locations.

The tenth tree – an English Oak – will hold a bronze ring inscribed with local residents' recollections of the area.

The shadow cast by this ring will be permanently captured by being inlayed onto the ground in bronze and each year the shadow and ring will momentarily align to commemorate a significant date and time during the London 2012 Games.

"Trees mark the passing of time through their yearly ring growth," said Ackroyd and Harvey.

"The artwork will transform as the seasons change, reflecting the evolving nature of the Olympic Park.

"The trees embrace metal rings which have been engraved with a record of the site's history, held in branches for successive decades to come."

The nine history rings will encapsulate a broad range of information relevant to each location, drawing on sources as varied as the Museum of London archaeological surveys, ecological studies and details of businesses that had previously inhabited the site.

The 10th ring embraces the nature of the Olympic Park as experienced by communities living around the five Host Boroughs through personal accounts.


In addition to some 4,000 semi-mature trees, the Olympic Park features more than 300,000 wetland plants and in excess of 10 football fields' worth of nectar-rich annual and perennial meadows designed and sown to flower during the Games.

One of the most significant trees to be planted on the park is an English Oak that will be placed in the riverside Royal Horticultural Society Great British Garden that overlooks the Olympic Stadium.

The 'de Coubertin oak' was grown at Kew Gardens from an acorn collected from the tree that Baron De Coubertin planted to thank the citizens of Much Wenlock for inspiring the founding of the modern Olympic Games, with the historical reference providing the artists with a rich source of research and inspiration.

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