Century-old Oxford Christmas tree goes for £3,411 at auction

The tree had an estimate of £60 to £80, but sold for a total of £3,411, £2,600 on the hammer.

It was cherished by a girl named Dorothy Grant, who kept the 31 inch tree, featuring 25 branches, 12 berries and six mini candleholders, throughout her lifetime.

Dorothy Grant, aged 21, in 1933 (Image: Hansons)

The auction took place in an Oxfordshire sale room managed by Hansons Auctioneers.

The result has largely been attributed to the nostalgic connection people feel towards Ms Grant's story.

Charles Hanson, the owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: "The magic of Christmas lives on.

“It would have been bought for pennies originally but it’s sold for thousands and that’s astonishing. I think it’s down to the power of nostalgia.

"The humblest Christmas tree in the world has a new home and we’re delighted for both buyer and seller."

Ms Grant was born in 1912 and was ecstatic when the Christmas tree arrived at her home in Forest Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, in 1920.

Despite baubles being deemed an extravagance after World War I, Ms Grant used cotton wool to mimic snow on her tree.

The charm of the tree lasted a century, with Ms Grant cherishing it until she passed away at the age of 101 in January 2014.

Mr Hanson added: "As simple as it was Dorothy loved that tree.

"It became a staple part of family celebrations for decades.

"The fact that it brought her such joy is humbling in itself."

“It resembles the first mass-produced artificial trees sold by popular department store Woolworths.

"However, the red paint decoration on its wooden base is different to Woolworths examples sold previously.

The tree's journey to auction began when it was passed down to Ms Grant's daughter, Shirley Hall, 84, who decided to sell it to honour her mother’s memory and preserve a humbling symbol of life in the 1920s.

Mr Hanson said: “We understand Dorothy’s mother, who was born in 1891, acquired the tree in 1920, making it 103 years old. Shirley thinks it may have been purchased from a shop in London.

"It reminds us that extravagance and excess are not required to capture the spirit of Christmas. For Dorothy it was enough to have a tree.

“A similar Christmas tree, purchased in Scotland for the equivalent of 6p in 1937, sold for £150 at Hansons in 2019.

"Another example, found in Derby, hammered at £420 in 2017."

The tree was sold on December 15, 2023, at Hansons Auctioneers’ Oxfordshire Fine Art and Antiques Auction.