The Glastonbury Thorn:
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Washington National Cathedral. D.C., USA
At the turn of the twentieth century, Stanley Austin, son of the then reigning Poet Laureate, owned the Abbey House, with it's 'interesting ruins' in the garden. When Stanley heard of the plans to build the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., he sent a clipping of the Glastonbury Thorn to the bishop of Washington, the Right Rev. Henry Yates Satterlee.
The cathedral also has chapel in the crypt beneath where the two arms of the cathedral cross, dedicated to Joseph of Arimathea, and the cathedra, the Bishop's chair, is made of stone sent over from Glastonbury Abbey, also by Stanley Austin. For more about the Austins.. The guide leaflet for the Washington Cathedral states, 'The tree stands in front of St. Albans School. Grown from cuttings from trees outside Glastonbury Abbey in England, it is reputed to bloom whenever royalty visits the close.' 
Glastonbury, Connecticut, USA
In the mid 1600's, a small group of people began to work the land and a few decades later the township of Glassenbury began to take shape. "Glistening Town", from the Anglo-Saxon, tied them directly to Glastonbury in England. The spelling of the town's name varied until the mid-1800's when it was decided to conform to the "proper" English spelling. The thorn on their town seal is a replication of the Somerset thorn, which visually links them to their European past.
Glastonbury is well known for its picturesque farms, orchards, streams, and woods. Like Glastonbury, England, apple trees can be seen in abundance and an Apple Harvest Festival takes place annually. Glastonbury Partners in Planting Inc began a project to propagate a Glastonbury Thorn for the Town's use using a graft from the Thorn at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
Victoria, Canada
In 1938 Katherine Maltwood, (re-discoverer of The Glastonbury Zodiac) and her husband, John, emigrated to Canada. They took with them a scion from the Holy Thorn in Glastonbury to plant in their new garden. This tree is now situated adjacent to the Maltwood Museum on the campus of the University of Victoria.
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New York (Bronx)
USA 
In the 1940's, one Dr. Thomas Everett, took a Glastonbury thorn from England to his home in Brooklyn and then donated it to the New York Botanical Garden (Bronx), where it has been growing happily ever since. For those that want to visit, find it located immediately adjacent to the Museum Building.
St Luke in the
Fields, Greenwich Village, New York, USA 
The beautiful Barrow Street Gardens in the church’s walled gardens were laid out
in 1950. A tree grown from a cutting from the Glastonbury Thorn grew here from 1847 until 1990. We have also found references to the following places. Any further elucidation very warmly welcomed! Central Park St. Alban's, Ozarks St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church, Burien, Washington. George's Episcopal Church, Englewood, Colorado. Bolivar, Missouri. |
...and now let's hop over to Australia. |
James Austin (1810-1896) was born at Baltonsborough, just outside of Glastonbury Somerset, the fifth son of John Austin. His uncle, James Austin, had been a forced founder of Hobart Town in Australia. In 1825 John Austin's second and fourth sons, Solomon and Josiah, emigrated to Australia and In 1831 Josiah collected his parents; the third son William, James, and Thomas; and his sister Anna,. Their convict pioneer uncle died before they arrived in Hobart, but all benefited by his will.
James went on to develop his Avalon freehold and quickly grasped the potential in urban Australian lands. He was an alderman of Geelong's first town council, and in 1851 its second elected mayor. In 1856 he retired and returned to his birthland, Glastonbury. Somerset.
Five of his nine children were born in Glastonbury, where he bought the abbey house with its 'interesting ruins in the grounds'. He was four times mayor of Glastonbury. In 1889, he returned to Australia.This time he took with him a very special gift which he planted at Avalon. He also planted a second cutting in the grounds of his nephew Sidney's home, Lunan House at Drumcondra., Lunan went on to become Geelong Teachers' College. L.J. Blake, in his 1971 Geelong Sketchbook, writes: "When, a century after its building, in the ground still flourished a descendant of the tree that reputedly grew from the thorn tree staff brought from Jerusalem to Glastonbury by Joseph of Arimathea, during the first century AD.''
Austin's second son took Avalon, and grafted a sculptured bloom of the Holy Thorn into the bluestone homestead with which he replaced the first. This stone from Glastonbury brought. Into the wall of Avalon is wrought. Stay for a moment traveller & view. This link between the old world & the new.
James went on to develop his Avalon freehold and quickly grasped the potential in urban Australian lands. He was an alderman of Geelong's first town council, and in 1851 its second elected mayor. In 1856 he retired and returned to his birthland, Glastonbury. Somerset.
Five of his nine children were born in Glastonbury, where he bought the abbey house with its 'interesting ruins in the grounds'. He was four times mayor of Glastonbury. In 1889, he returned to Australia.This time he took with him a very special gift which he planted at Avalon. He also planted a second cutting in the grounds of his nephew Sidney's home, Lunan House at Drumcondra., Lunan went on to become Geelong Teachers' College. L.J. Blake, in his 1971 Geelong Sketchbook, writes: "When, a century after its building, in the ground still flourished a descendant of the tree that reputedly grew from the thorn tree staff brought from Jerusalem to Glastonbury by Joseph of Arimathea, during the first century AD.''
Austin's second son took Avalon, and grafted a sculptured bloom of the Holy Thorn into the bluestone homestead with which he replaced the first. This stone from Glastonbury brought. Into the wall of Avalon is wrought. Stay for a moment traveller & view. This link between the old world & the new.
Belmont Geeling, Victoria, Australia
The former Glastonbury Orphanage at Belmont Geeling in Australia, was so named to honour the Austen associations. From Advancing This Good Work, by Donella Jaggs and her daughter Catherine (1988); `A member recalled that we got a piece from Avalon and planted it at the orphanage. It's still there'. |
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Western Beach, Avalon
Taken from the original Avalon cutting of James Austin's when it grew into a tree. It was struck in the grounds of the property Warrain by the next Frank of the Austin dynasty. This tree thrived for many years until 2001 when, as Geelong botanical historian George Jones says: "It was found to be rotting underground, evidently the result of damage occurring when an adjacent fence was being replaced''.
Taken from the original Avalon cutting of James Austin's when it grew into a tree. It was struck in the grounds of the property Warrain by the next Frank of the Austin dynasty. This tree thrived for many years until 2001 when, as Geelong botanical historian George Jones says: "It was found to be rotting underground, evidently the result of damage occurring when an adjacent fence was being replaced''.
Salt Haven, Belmont
"It was growing at Salt Haven, 72 Francis St, Belmont , formerly the home of Mrs Doris Pidgeon, She told me her mother-in-law, Mrs Florence Bullivant, who was a grand-daughter of James Austin, had visited Glastonbury twice in the 1930s and on one of those occasions brought back a cutting, planting it at Salt Haven. Growing close to the front fence I was able to examine it whenever passing. On October 31, 1999, I noticed a secondary branch had pink flowers, all the others being white.'' George Jones.
"It was growing at Salt Haven, 72 Francis St, Belmont , formerly the home of Mrs Doris Pidgeon, She told me her mother-in-law, Mrs Florence Bullivant, who was a grand-daughter of James Austin, had visited Glastonbury twice in the 1930s and on one of those occasions brought back a cutting, planting it at Salt Haven. Growing close to the front fence I was able to examine it whenever passing. On October 31, 1999, I noticed a secondary branch had pink flowers, all the others being white.'' George Jones.
Geelong Botanic Gardens
Geelong Botanic Gardens has two specimens of the Glastonbury Thorn.
The first, dates back several decades and was taken from the original Austin Avalon bush. Visitors can find it near the gardens koisk The second, in the nursery, was retrieved at the last gasp, from 72 Francis St, Belmont, courtesy realtor Ron Arthur, who in 2002 knew the plant's significance and had it excluded from the property's sale at auction in order to be transplanted to gardens. In 2008, Noel Murphy of the Geelong Advertisor, wrote, "It's growing well, and cuttings will be taken in due course and sent to Geelong Grammar to revive fortunes at Avalon." |
George Jones and Geelong Botanical Gardens supervisor Phil Mulroyan with sprigs of the Glastonbury thorn and the thorntree behind them. Picture: GLENN FERGUSON
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Canadian references:
http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/k_maltwood/history/museum.html
http://vancouver.ca/vandusen/treeMonth/glastonburyThorn.htm
USA references:
http://vancouver.ca/vandusen/treeMonth/glastonburyThorn.htm
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19981205&id=qpczAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JiEGAAAAIBAJ&pg=5588,4785455http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19981213/NEWS/312139901
http://gpip.org
Australian references:
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/austin-james-1520
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/12/26/40181_news_pf.html
http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/k_maltwood/history/museum.html
http://vancouver.ca/vandusen/treeMonth/glastonburyThorn.htm
USA references:
http://vancouver.ca/vandusen/treeMonth/glastonburyThorn.htm
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19981205&id=qpczAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JiEGAAAAIBAJ&pg=5588,4785455http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19981213/NEWS/312139901
http://gpip.org
Australian references:
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/austin-james-1520
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/12/26/40181_news_pf.html
More places to visit in Glastonbury
| Bride's Mound | Chalice Well & Gardens | The Church of St John the Baptist | Glastonbury Abbey | The Glastonbury Experience Courtyard | Glastonbury Goddess Temple | Glastonbury Thorn | Gog & Magog | Lake Village Museum | Library of Avalon | St. Margaret's Chapel & the Magdalene Almshouses | Somerset Rural Life Museum | Ponter's Ball | The Glastonbury Tercentennial Labyrinth | Glastonbury Tor | Wearyall Hill | White Spring |