A mulberry bush which is believed to have inspired the famous nursery rhyme has been re-born in a new home.
Historians believe the rhyme Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush refers to a tree that grew deep inside one of Britain’s most notorious jails – Wakefield Prison, in West Yorkshire – until just a few years ago.
The story is that women prisoners at the jail would sing the song as they exercised around the mulberry bush which was planted in the yard around 200 years ago but died and was removed in 2019.
On Thursday, the park said a cutting had been planted in the 500-acre estate after horticulturalists deemed it hardy and established enough to survive.
Mark Chesman, head of estates at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, said: “After it was originally planted within the prison walls, female prisoners were said to have danced around the tree to keep warm and they invented the rhyme to help keep their children amused.
“We feel extremely privileged to have been given the opportunity to save such an important part of our heritage that may have been lost forever without the hard work and dedication of our estates team.
“It is very fitting that YSP be the home for this precious plant.”
A special planting ceremony took place for the fledgling mulberry bush on Thursday, a short walk from the Learning Centre at YSP, along with the unveiling of a plaque to inform visitors of its heritage.
Wakefield Prison was originally built in 1594 and has housed some of the UK’s most notorious prisoners.
