Video: 103-year-old Christmas tree from Woolworths to go under the hammer at Banbury auction

The tree, which has been described as the ‘humblest Christmas tree in the world’ by Hansons Auctioneers, has been estimated at being worth between £60 and £80.

Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, hopes that Christmas nostalgia will see the tree believed to have been bought from Woolworths in 1920 sold for much more.

The Christmas tree belonged to Dorothy Grant of Loughborough after her mother gave it to her as an eight-year-old. Dorothy treasured it until she passed away at the age of 101 in 2014.

Charles Hanson said: “It has to be the humblest Christmas tree in the world. But as simple as it was, Dorothy loved it. It represented the magic of Christmas and became a staple part of family celebrations for decades.

"It reminds us that extravagance and excess are not required to capture the spirit of Christmas. For Dorothy, it was enough to have a tree. It may appear sparse to us today, but to her, it was special. She enjoyed decorating it with cotton wool to make it look as if it was sprinkled with snow.

“The seller is parting with the tree now to honour her mother’s memory and to ensure it survives as a humble reminder of 1920s life—a boom-to-bust decade."The tree will go on auction at Hansons Auctioneers’ Oxfordshire Fine Art and Antiques Auction.

For more information visit https://hansonsauctioneers.co.uk/auctions/