The
carving was completed by Tim Burgess in November, 2008, and is designed to stimulate
the local children's imagination and spark an interest in nature, as well to create a nice surprise when first seen, and hopefully bring a smile every day.
A closed door has been carved into the tree, but a lot of the bark has been
left and, it is hoped, will grow back over time to cover up some of the carved
wood so that it looks like it is part of the tree. You'll note there's no name-plate; children may decide for themselves who lives in it, though it looks rather like Christopher Robin's house to me...
In addition to the main door, the tree also has a small window facing into
the park. For many people this is the first clue that something is there.
Again, the idea is for the bark to cover the edges and make the effect more realistic.
Nothing like this would be complete without some sort of owl; and here they are! Tim often includes owls on his work.
His website can be found here, at http://thetimburgess.typepad.com/. On here you can find a gallery of his other wonderful work, a list of dates and places you can go and see him creating it, and contact details in case you have a tree or a stump you'd like bringing to life!