Singing tree in Burnley (9 photos + 1 video)

It turns out that not only birds can surprise people with their mesmerizing roulades, but trees too. True, not quite ordinary.





On a low mountain range - the Pennines, in the northern part of England, there is this unusual creation, which is called the Singing Tree. The non-standard design attracts not only local residents, but has also gained popularity all over the world.



The ridge offers a marvelous view of the city of Burnley, Lancashire. Descriptions of the object on the Internet are very contradictory and ambiguous. Some compare the tree to the wreckage of an alien ship or even something from a horror movie. Others find a certain aesthetic in unconventional architecture.





The Singing Tree is known for creating a melody that is both eerie and strangely soothing.

The tree was built in 2006 by award-winning architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu as part of a project to create a series of landmarks in the countryside.



The site of the Burnley tree was once a relay station with a dilapidated brick building and unused telegraph lines. The station was dismantled and the lines felled and recycled to make way for the tree to stand out against the rugged Pennine landscape.

Why was the Singing Tree built?



The singing tree is one of four attractions installed in the Pennines in a bid to bring some creativity to the local countryside.

The 3 meter high structure consists of 21 layers and was assembled from 322 pieces of galvanized steel pipes.



Designed by leading London architecture studio Tonkin Liu on a budget of £150,000, the Singing Tree was completed in late 2006 and quickly gained worldwide acclaim for its unusual appearance and cosmic melodiousness.



Some hear shamanic howls in the sound of the tree, others hear quiet elven chants. But due to the unpredictability of the weather, the melodies he performs are always different.



Anna Liu believes that they successfully completed the main task of turning the wind into music and extracting something positive from windy weather.



Still from the film “The Singing, Ringing Tree”

The title is also a reference to the 1957 German fairytale film The Singing, Jingling Tree, which tells the story of a princess who wishes to receive a magical singing tree as a gift, a curse placed on a prince by an evil dwarf, and the power of true love.