Why do you believe this tree should be selected as the winner in this category?

Although not accurately dated, this tree was planted just outside the gate of Eldon House on Ridout during the time that the Harris family occupied the home. There is the possibility that its existence could date at the most 175 years, from when the home was first built to the period 50 years ago, at which time the family turned over the building to the city of London as a potential Museum. This time frame places it at the initial inception of the city of London when Colonel Talbot held sway over the development process after Lord Simcoe had hoped to make London the capital of Canada. It has endured the struggles of a settlement which eventually became part of the nation Canada, which broke away from British rule. It has endured the American threat from the Rebellion of 1837; various influxes of immigrants; the evolution of the city from an industrial hub to white collar population; the expansion of population from a mere 1,000 to the current 353,000; fires which destroyed the downtown area; epidemics; the movement from a backwater town to the hub of regionalism of the visual arts. Through all of these events, it has remained a quiet observer of all that has transpired. A link to the past of London it serves as a marker calling attention to our past. In essence it is the past, present and future of London. It is one of the long-term inhabitants of this city which facilitates it calling itself “The Forest City”.