Narrow escape as oak tree falls

Nelson Kruschandl heads a trust looking after the old Lime Park generating buildings in Herstmonceux.

He heard a strange crash whilst at home in one of the buildings at 3am on Friday last week.

He said: ' I thought it was a cat chasing a squirrel.

'I went outside to have a look and there was a massive tree lying across the driveway.

'It had just missed the generating buildings and also a jeep by millimetres.'

Mr Kruschandl and staff had planned to take the Holm oak tree down in stages after they noticed it was rotten.

It had been leaning over the roof of the main building and inches from a garage.

He added: 'When I looked at it the next day it had fallen just where we originally wanted, although it did hit a fence.

'But the tree falling down by itself has saved the trust some money.'

A decaying sycamore tree was also chainsawed after the incident.

The generating buildings are protected by a monument protection programme under English Heritage.

Mr Kruchandl set up the Lime Park trust to restore the buildings, used to generate electricity for Herstmonceux 100 years ago.