The Strange Money Trees of England

Oct 22, 2009 35 comments

When you were a kid, you probably often heard your mother chiding that “money doesn't grow on trees” in an attempt to curb your expensive demands. If only you knew, you could have told her that money, in fact, does grow on trees. At least in England they do.

There are places in England where you can find trees with coins hammered and bent into the bark. Nobody knows for sure why people pushed coins into the trees. Some believe it brings good luck. Others believe that the amount of coins pushed in by an individual may result in them producing the same amount of children.

Money trees can be found all over Britain. All I need is a plane ticket... and a pair of pliers.

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More money tree photos on this Flickr group

[via Trifter]

Comments

  1. "Money trees can be found all over Britian", good god can they? I've lived in Britian, well England, for all my life and I've never heard of the things.

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    Replies
    1. their is a fallen tree lying alongside Tarn Hows above Lake Coniston in the Lake District

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    2. One in Lud's church in the Peak District too! Saw it yesterday :)

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  2. Likewise! I live near forest, never seen one of these on any walks though it, nor any other wooded areas I've visited.

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  3. Oh.. my.. God.

    This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It'd be magical to happen upon something like this. I live in the US, though.. so I don't think that'll be happening.

    The tree hugger in me, though, makes me wonder what kind of harm this might cause or has caused the trees.

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  4. There is a tree like this along the woodland path at Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire. I spotted it on a picnic with my family a couple of years ago we were all a bit puzzled by it but decided to try and add our own pennies, for the record banging pennies into a dead tree with a rock is not as easy as you might think. We gave up!

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  5. Wow .. quite interesting, hope someday we see this trend in PAKistan too

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  6. I have lived in England all my life walked in many woods and trails, spent too many hours reading blogs such as this Uphaa, odee etc and have never come across these tress before, but sure will do some research and post a definitive guide on my blog.

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  7. Pretty cool also would be a cool idea for garden art in someone's yard. As to it hurting the tree I think they only do it to trees that are already dead ?

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  8. This will be fascinating to future archeologists, especially once the trees have decomposed! There will be a trail of smashed and bent coins in the middle of nowhere...and they will wonder what we were thinking - and apparently, WE aren't even sure! One has to wonder what we puzzle over from the past that is just pure quirkiness!

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  9. @aamir Marijuana grows along the side of the road like clover in Pakistan. That's infinitely better.

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  10. Brilliant, thanks :-) I've seen a money tree on the Ingleton waterfall walk, another at Janet Foss waterfall and one somewhere else (I don't remember where).

    We added coins just to join in. I wonder who started them in the first place. I'll see if I can find any pictures.

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  11. copper kills trees

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  12. You need to visit Yorkshire. Near the Skipton/Malham area in the woods you can find some. I'm trying to remember which specific walk you'll find them on, but it doesn't look like I'm going to. You'll just have to go money tree hunting in Yorkshire. Not a bad pastime.

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  13. Just read the above comments (perhaps should've done that before posting my above comment) and Janet Foss is where I saw one too. The same one, in all likelihood.

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  14. Why does these pictures of money trees makes me feel uncomfortable?

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  15. As a child driving down to the west of Ireland with my parents, we used to stop off at a money tree every year and hammer a coin or two into the trunk and make a wish. Unfortunately I haven't seen one for many years, the money tree on the way to the west was struck by lightning 10 or so years ago and set alight. I suppose it was only a matter of time. Great to see the tradition is also in Britain.
    @Ben..... the trees are very dead for a very long time, at least the ones Ive seen, so no harm, no foul. : )

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  16. have seen one today just been trying to find the origin of this the one i saw was in burbage brook near fox house in derbyshire

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  17. Quite interesting! But would love to know if they are as prevalent in England...or Britain...as they said. Would love to stumble upon one in real life!

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  18. Devon hotels
    looks amazing....i cant believe that there is tree looks like money.

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  19. Fills me with sorrow for the trees.

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  20. walk through Dovedale, you will see lots of these

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  21. There are 2 of them in coniston if anyone is interested.

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  22. cant we have ANY fun anymore! blah blah poor trees etc... ive TOUCHED one of these magical trees along the gorge walk of Lynmouth and Lynton.In fact i took a photo posted to my dad of myself and sister stood next to it saying Oh yeah Dad? money doesnt grow on trees? well how do you explain THIS ?!!? heh heh ...
    lighten up people
    p.s ive never knowingly damaged a tree physicaly or its feelings at any time in my long life!

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  23. oh pluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeese

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  24. Well said Wishful thinking!

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  25. 'Poor trees' for goodness sake people, get a grip!

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  26. Theres a fallen tree near a trail thats goes round a lake, people have started hammering pennies into it. I often wonder that maybe one day it will look like the photos you see of wishing trees.

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  27. Lots of people are complaing about these but not many of you know that this is done to a fallen trees, not live ones, dead trees are supposed to have a sprit locked in this world and the next, granting people wishes.

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  28. I just returned from England and went for a walk in Dovedale. Saw 3 money trees (only fallen, already dead trees), but I never saw them when I lived there.

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  29. For all the people saying "poor trees", I assume you're not sitting on a wooden chair at a wooden table in a house made with wood...hmmm?

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  30. if that was in the US id load that thing into my truck and hot tank the tree, thats probably a few grand on a tree! (adding in the extra value of the old "rare" coins)

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  31. What a waste of money. Wishing wells, yes, but not the mindless hammering-in of coins into fallen trees which serves no purpose whatsoever. A good walk is spoiled for me by this infectious notion that wasting money will bring good luck. Hopefully some of these people will realise one day that their spare coins would do more good in a charity box.

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