As he was leaving work on Friday evening my colleague Dr Mu Mu commented on how he was looking forward to today’s Spiral Sunday. That’s the first time anyone has said such a thing, so this week’s image is dedicated to him! It’s the carved end of a mahogany bannister that he passes most days on his way to and from the office in the Newton Building of the University of Northampton.
The Newton Building was constructed in 1915 so the wood was probably harvested from the wild in South or Central America, rather than being from a plantation. These solid, knife-straight bannisters have lasted over 100 years without warping, and will no doubt last for a century or more to come. I love their smooth solidity, but they are a beautiful, daily reminder of the history of tropical deforestation.
Prof. Jeff Ollerton - ecological scientist and author 
A nice story to bring this beautiful piece of woodwork alive! On the note of deforestation, I use to live in Lancaster on the edge of the Forest of Bowland. It’s one of those “forests” that only exhibit some small patches of trees nowadays. It’s believed that the diminishing woodland was largely attributed to human activities related to agriculture and warfare (many trees were cut down to make battleships during the Anglo-French war).
Thanks Mu, glad you liked it 🙂 Yes, the Forest of Bowland is not very wooded at all.