A 40ft Christmas tree which will stand at the foot of Big Ben has been felled and will start making its 330-mile journey south.
The Sitka spruce was selected from among the 150 million trees in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, and will stand in one of the most prominent positions in Westminster.
Forestry England workers carefully felled the 40-year-old pine to avoid damaging it, before it was wrapped and put on a lorry for the journey to London.
Beat Forester Richard Cooper, of Forestry England, said: “I fell and plant a lot of trees every year but this is always the most special – it’s got to be perfect.
“Kielder Forest has been supplying the tree to stand alongside Big Ben for over 20 years.
“It’s not just about how good it looks in the forest, it’s a real skill to bring it down safely and transport it all the way to London without causing any damage.
“So many people from all over the world will see it lit up and I’m really proud to see something from our corner of Northumberland take pride of place.”
Kielder supplies around 180 civic trees every Christmas, including to Ipswich, Sheffield and Stockton on Tees.
To ensure sustainability, seedlings from previously selected civic trees have been planted in the 63,000-hectare (155,000 acre) woodland which, with careful nurturing, could still be featuring in city centre displays in Westminster in 40 years.
Mr Cooper said: “It’ll be someone else’s job to choose the 2063 tree, but there’s something very special about planting a sapling with such a unique future ahead of it.”
Another 25ft tree has been delivered to Westminster Hall and a 10ft one will stand in the Speaker’s State Apartments.
The Christmas tree which will stand at the foot of Big Ben is one of the most iconic festive scenes around the capital city, alongside the giant Trafalgar Square Christmas tree which is given by the city of Oslo as a token of Norwegian gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during the years 1940–1945.
