A Bath couple were “very lucky” after the fall of a beloved tree narrowly missed coming through their window.
Removing the fallen tree on North Parade Buildings | Photo © John Wimperis
Peter and Brett Moore live at the end of North Parade Buildings, a beautiful Georgian street which, until Friday 14th November, was dominated by an iconic Boxelder tree.
But just after 6pm, the tree was brought down while the region was battered by Storm Claudia.
Mrs Moore had been working downstairs in a room facing the tree at the time. She said: “Suddenly, I could hear something. The house sort of shook.
“It was a weird sound. It wasn’t as loud as you would expect.
“It never occurred to me that the tree had fallen down.”
She said: “We were very lucky. It only just missed the house.”
Mr Moore added: “It was right up against the windows. It so easily could have smashed.”
He added: “It was like a God moment. You suddenly think: ‘Someone’s looking out for you.’”
The Moores were not the only people to have a close shave. A girl had been sitting on the wall under the tree just before it came down, but moved after she heard the “rumble underneath.”
Mr Moore said: “I waved at her and said are you alright?”.
Mrs Moore said: “She was incredibly calm.”
The fall of the tree also disturbed some less welcome neighbours. Mrs Moore said: “We had a whole community of rats down there so when the tree came down they all came rushing out. It was like the Nutcracker.”
The tree was removed by Bath & North East Somerset Council on Wednesday 19th November. The tree was cut up into sections by chainsaw, which were then lifted out of the narrow pedestrian street by a crane parked around the back of Marks & Spencer.
Mrs Moore said: “We will miss it because it was a bit of character at the end.”
Located opposite Sally Lunn’s Eating House, North Parade Buildings is one of Bath’s most beautiful streets. Every house on the street is listed.
John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter
