SOUTHWELL, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE — Nottingham Trent University sold the garden containing the original Bramley apple tree to neighboring cottage owners Joshua and Alicia Wheatley. The more than 200-year-old tree, sown by Mary Ann Brailsford between 1809 and 1815 in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, is the progenitor of the Bramley apple, one of Britain’s most popular cooking apples.

The sale followed a public campaign led by artist Dan Llywelyn Hall to preserve the site as a heritage and educational destination. Campaigners raised £14,000 from over 320 donors worldwide in an effort to purchase the property and maintain public access. Hall criticized the university’s decision, saying: "It is a very sad day for our ancient heritage trees. It has been failed by all the institutions and now Nottingham Trent University, ironically a uni of environment and agriculture, have done this. We are all gobsmacked." He added: "It’s a careless sale that will reduce the tree to a quaint back garden curiosity. NTU has acted irresponsibly and washed their hands of a tree that ultimately outlived their death sentence over 10 years ago. I had hoped we would see a dignified last chapter for the Mother Bramley. We all failed it."

Nottingham Trent University defended the transaction, stating that the Wheatleys approached the institution with a commitment to care for and celebrate the tree’s heritage. "We are delighted that custodianship of the tree has passed to the owners of the neighbouring property, Bramley Tree Cottage," a university spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that Joshua and Alicia Wheatley expressed their interest in purchasing the garden and pledged to continue maintaining the tree.

The university said it has included specific obligations in the garden transfer to ensure the Bramley tree’s continued preservation, maintenance, and public access for events. Nottingham Trent University is also providing the new custodians with expert advice on the tree’s care.

Approximately 50 years after Brailsford planted the original tree, Henry Merryweather obtained cuttings with permission from Matthew Bramley, the then-owner of the garden. Those cuttings led to the widespread cultivation of Bramley apples, now grown by more than 300 producers in England, yielding about 83,000 tonnes annually in the U.K. The university-owned cottage adjacent to the garden, previously used for student accommodation, remains listed for sale.