Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is from the same family as Buckeye and is one of my favourite woods to colour. This burr came from a tree that grew at the top of Edge Hill overlooking the plain that was the scene of the Battle of Edgehill on Sunday, 23rd Octer 1642 during the First English Civil War.
The tree wasn't anywhere near that old as they only have a lifespan of 75-120 years but the story is a great was of giving pieces of the tree a back story.
I used black and red dyes to do the colouring, it has five coats of waterborne lacquer and four books (£100 worth) of 22ct Champagne Gold leaf on the natural edge.
It measures 12 1/2" in diameter and is 10" high.
