Elfin Oak

The Elfin Oak is a carved and painted oak tree stump in Kensington Gardens, London. It stands as the hollow remains of a tree that once grew in Richmond Park. In 1928 the log was moved to Kensington Gardens as part of a public improvement scheme led by George Lansbury. The illustrator Ivor Innes carved figures of elves, gnomes, fairies and small animals into its bark between 1928 and 1930. These include Wookey the witch with her three jars, Huckleberry the gnome on the Gnomes’ Stairway, and Grumples and Groodles the elves being awakened by Brownie and Dinkie. The Elfin Oak became the subject of a 1930 children’s book illustrated by Innes and written by his wife Elsie. She described the tree as the home of fairies, gnomes, elves, imps and pixies who hide by day and play by night. In 1969 the tree appeared on the inside cover of Pink Floyd’s album Ummagumma. Comedian Spike Milligan campaigned for its restoration in 1996 and personally repainted much of the carving. The restoration was led by sculptor Marcus Richards and students from Byam Shaw School of Art. Visitors find the Elfin Oak beside the Serpentine in Kensington Gardens. Its hollow trunk shows tiny doorways and windows where the carved figures peer out. The surrounding lawn and mature trees frame the stump, making it a quiet spot in the park. The figures include Huckleberry climbing the Gnomes’ Stairway to Bark Hall and Wookey the witch beside her jars. The Grade II listed structure remains a playful reminder of London’s green spaces.