Norfolk sculptor Mark Reed creates bronze tree on display at Wimbledon

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A sculptor from West Norfolk has created a tree made from bronze that will be a permanent feature outside of a Wimbledon court.

Mark Reed spent 6,000 hours creating the beech tree that is shaped like a figure about to serve an ace.

The sculpture was commissioned by the All England Lawn Tennis Club and was made on Mr Reed's family fruit farm in Ashill near Watton.

He told ITV News Anglia "Most of my work has actually been for private collections, so I haven't had that much work that has been in the public sphere so it's very exciting and so nice that everyone can get to enjoy it."

The tree sculpture outside court one Credit: AELTC

Viewed from one side, the tree looks like a female player while from the other side the form looks more male.

Nearly one and a half tonnes of bronze was used to make the artwork that consists of nearly 2,000 beech leaves painted in a myriad of colours.

Mr Reed saidd: "They invited me down to Wimbledon and I was lucky enough to see a game.

"The serving player was just in the air with their hand up reached up to the sky and they were levitating as they were jumping just about to serve.

"So to morph the player, the human figure and the tree in such a way to capture that moment was the quest and I wanted to runaway instantly and get started."

Viewed from one angle, the figure appears male and from the opposite angle, the figure appears female Credit: AELTC

Six people helped Mark, including his wife, Hannah, and three of their four sons.

"There are so many facets to the creation of the sculpture that you couldn't just create something instantly. It was a journey that took a couple of years actually," he said.

Those who visited Norwich Cathedral to see Dippy the Dinosaur may have walked through another of Mr Reed's sculptures. Your Waves Go Over Me featuring 3,000 fish was installed for the event.

And he made the Tree of Life sculpture for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn.

Back in Wimbledon, Mr Reed's tree has much to discover.

The tree sculpture has lots of hidden details Credit: AELTC

Those with a keen eye will spot hidden creatures, like a bird and a caterpillar playing a game of tennis and of course, a Wimbledon womble - Orinoco, peering out from one of the roots with a tennis racquet.

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