A TREE set in the centre of a courtyard at a market town's pub is being brought down 70 years after it was planted there.Roy Hunt, landlord of the Crown Hotel, Framlingham, still holds the photograph of Connie Brunger planting the flowering cherry tree in his establishment's courtyard in 1937 as he prepares to bring it down to make way for development work.

A TREE set in the centre of a courtyard at a market town's pub is being brought down 70 years after it was planted there.

Roy Hunt, landlord of the Crown Hotel, Framlingham, still holds the photograph of Connie Brunger planting the flowering cherry tree in his establishment's courtyard in 1937 as he prepares to bring it down to make way for development work.

The courtyard is set to be relayed as part of a £350,000 renovation project at the pub, which means the tree has got to go.

Mr Hunt said: “The tree's deteriorated and having been examined by the tree specialist, it would have to be removed anyway.

“It just happens to coincide with our renovation of the stables area, which is quite fortunate.”

He said the tree has had a good life and he was told by the tree specialist that if it had been planted in an exposed place then it would have fallen down years ago.

In the picture, Ms Brunger, who is thought to have been a librarian in the town, can be seen helping to plant the tree with a couple of unknown men.

The tree was planted to mark how the courtyard was no longer a throughway for the coaches.

Mr Hunt said they will plant a new tree in place of the old one as part of the conversion work, which is due to be complete in June.

It is the second time that the project has been disrupted by nature as Mr Hunt also discovered they had 40 long-eared bats in the roof of the 16th Century stables, which they will have to preserve.