The Elfin Oak
Standing in a bustling corner of Kensington Gardens is something quite extraordinary. At first glance it looks like a timeworn tree, but a closer inspection reveals a magical twist. Around its trunk dance a colourful cast of fairytale characters.
Known as the Elfin Oak, this whimsical sculpture has delighted generations of visitors. Its story is a surprising one that brings together an array of unlikely characters, from famous writers and rock stars to the comedian Spike Milligan… and even King Charles III!
Lady Fortescue
The tale begins with a remarkable woman called Winifred Fortescue (1888-1951), who acted on the stage before becoming a popular writer. Through her husband, the Royal Librarian John William Fortescue, she became Lady Fortescue in 1926.
In January 1930, Lady Fortescue wrote a letter to politician George Lansbury (1859-1940) – the First Commissioner of Works who at that time held responsibility for The Royal Parks. She proposed a new plan to benefit ‘the children of London’, which she hoped their ‘Fairy Godfather’ Lansbury would consider.
A strange new form of art
Lady Fortescue’s plan revolved around her friend Ivor Innes, a Scottish artist. Innes had developed a new style of art he called ‘Griglans’, a name derived from the Gaelic word for heather root. She explained the strange story behind this artistic innovation:
Whilst painting in Cornwall [Innes] tripped on an old heather-root and ruined his picture. Being annoyed, he kicked the root out of the ground and found it to be a picturesque thing, gnarled and twisted with hundreds of years resistance against sea-wine and weather. In it he saw the perfect form of a little gnome and so, just for fun, he painted it in colour. This gave him the idea of searching for more of these queer roots and in each he discovered the almost perfectly formed [figures] of a dwarf, gnome, pixie, fairy, dragon, squirrel or wood-nymph. All he does is to scrape off the bark and colour nature’s work for her’.
Innes had started to produce Griglans on a larger scale, working with an old tree in Lady Fortescue’s own garden into which he carved a whole cast of ‘fairy folk’. This had given her the idea that a larger-scale fairy tree in a public park would be ‘such an enormous joy for the children of London’. She also hoped the project would benefit Innes, who ‘did gallant service in the war and lost all his financial resources thereby’. This made it difficult for Innes to support his wife Elsie, who was unwell.
George Lansbury and his team at the parks responded favourably, suggesting that this ‘experiment’ might work well near the children’s play area in Kensington Gardens, ‘from the point of view of giving imaginative ideas and pleasure to the children’. Innes worked with the Superintendent of Richmond Park to find a suitable old trunk of oak there, before bringing it back to London where he could turn it into a fairy tree for a fee of £50 (almost £3,000 today).
Creating The Elfin Oak
The next question was where Ivor Innes would work – a plan for renting workshop space at the Science Museum proved too costly, so it was eventually decided that Mr Innes would work in Kensington Gardens itself. The weight of the tree meant that bringing it into the park was a complex operation, but it was eventually managed and a temporary canvas shelter was put up for Innes to work in. It took him five months to turn the 800-year-old tree into the Elfin Oak.
The temporary studio aroused interest, and it wasn’t long before the story got into the press. Reports of this strange new feature appeared in newspapers across the country and even inspired a church sermon in Kensington! The rector told his congregation to take Innes as an example when something unfortunate happened, because ‘when he fell down the cliff and spoiled his picture’ he ‘discovered the first Griglan’. After this, a large group of parishioners visited Innes in the park and amused him by recounting the sermon as he worked!
A special guest?
There was great anticipation for the unveiling of what was now being called the ‘Elfin Oak’, and George Lansbury had someone special in mind to cut the ribbon: local author J.M. Barrie (1860-1937). His famous Peter Pan stories were both inspired by and set in Kensington Gardens. Lansbury wrote to Barrie that ‘no one could more fittingly’ unveil the sculpture as he was ‘already closely associated with Kensington Gardens’.
The 70-year-old Barrie was flattered but unable to attend – ‘let another have the glory’, he said, adding: ‘may this Elfin Oak have a triumphant career’. The tree was eventually unveiled by the Mayoress of Kensington on 25 July 1930.
A book for children
Ivor Innes always worked closely with his wife Elsie and the couple collaborated on an illustrated children’s book called The Elfin Oak of Kensington Gardens (1930), exploring the various characters on the tree. Elsie wrote the words, while Ivor provided the illustrations.
The book begins:
‘The Wee Fairy Folk have come to London Town. Have you seen their home in the old, old oak in Kensington Gardens?’
It goes on to introduce a cast of magical characters including Wookey the witch, with her three jars of magic potions, an imp called Dandy-Puff, a pixie called Snuggles and a fairy named Harebell. Unfortunately, the book was not commercially successful and copies are now difficult to find. Nevertheless, it is a charming addition to the fairy literature of Kensington Gardens, which includes Thomas Tickell’s poem ‘Kensington Gardens’ (1722) and Barrie’s celebrated Peter Pan stories.
Spike Milligan
The Elfin Oak soon became a popular attraction, adding to Kensington Gardens’ reputation as a place of fairytale and childhood. But as seasons turned, the paintwork became chipped and faded. Help came in a surprising form.
After visiting the park with his daughter, comedian Spike Milligan (1918-2002) took up the cause. In 1964 he contacted the parks offering to restore the Elfin Oak free of charge. His generous offer was accepted and he completed the majority of the work himself over two years, repairing figures that were broken and repainting characters in his spare time. He later reflected: ‘There wasn’t… any profit in it – except, perhaps, to give some pleasure and a sense of wonder to a passing child.’ In 1969 a photo of singer and guitarist David Gilmour posing in front of the Elfin Oak appeared on the inside cover of Pink Floyd’s album Ummagumma. More rock stars would follow.
By 1995 the tree was in need of help again and Spike Milligan came to the rescue, launching a campaign to raise £100,000 for a full restoration. Donors included The Beatles’ Paul McCartney and Rolling Stone Bill Wyman. Prince Charles (now King Charles III) unveiled the completed tree on 12 June 1997, with Spike Milligan and Bill Wyman in attendance.
Today
In the decades that followed the Elfin Oak once again needed work to bring Ivor Innes’ vision back to life. In 2026, an effort to repair the tree’s 97 figurines was jointly funded by The Royal Parks and the Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. This vital work ensures that the Elfin Oak will continue to enchant for years to come.
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