The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree today began its five day journey from Norway to London.
The Norwegian spruce, which is an annual gift from Oslo to London, will travel more than 700 miles by boat from Norway to the UK after it was specially selected for its height and beauty by experts.
The Evening Standard was invited to see the tree being felled by the Mayor of Oslo and the Lord Mayor of Westminster at a special ceremony in a forest just outside the Norwegian capital on Friday.
The tree, which is between 115 and 120 years old and measures 21 metres tall, is the sixty-sixth to be sent to the capital as part of a tradition which started in 1946 to thank Britain for its support during the Second World War.
After a performance of carols sung by local school children, Oslo mayor Fabian Stang and Councillor Angela Harvey cut the tree with the help of pupils from St Paul’s primary school in Whitechapel, Faridah Babirye, 10, Aysha Ali, 9, and Yasin Kuddus, 10.
It was finished off by a lumberjack with a chainsaw before it was lifted by crane into a truck and driven to Brevik to be shipped to Immingham, Lincolnshire.
It will then be driven to London for a tree lighting ceremony in Trafalgar Square on December 6.
There will also be a three-day outdoor exhibition in Trafalgar Square of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch - including a print of the famous Scream painting - to mark the 150-year anniversary of his birth next year.
The tree, which was selected for London about a month ago, has been fed fertiliser to ensure it gets a strong green colour and neighbouring trees are cut down to make sure it gets enough light.
Councillor Harvey told the Standard: “This is a tree that’s given in friendship from the people of Oslo to the people of London although it’s a tree that’s come out of times of difficulty it’s a symbol of the friendship between us now.
She said she would be getting daily updates about the tree’s journey.
Mr Stang added: “The gift of the tree started as an expression of our gratefulness of support we had after the second world war but now it is a nice way to express our friendship now and how important it is to support each other when someone is in a difficult situation.”
