It’s been a wee bit of a trying day for Glasgow’s famous Darnley Sycamore, which got pollarded by 100mph winds

The sycamore tree, thought to be at least 450 years old, is a historic landmark connected to Mary Queen of Scots and her ill-fated cousin-husband, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley.

450 plus years is a decent run for a sycamore, known locally as Plane trees, and despite how bad it looks, the game isn’t necessarily over.

It remains to be seen what Glasgow’s arboriculturists will do with what’s left.
But there is every reason to believe that the tree will be cut back further to make it safe, then regrow as a stumpy pollard with a hollowed-out trunk for many years to come before it finally croaks.

As a sign of hope for the future, the Darnley tree smashed a bunch of railings, but sensibly didn’t demolish its plaque.