Above: Leaves from a 147 year old olive tree.
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"Deeply rooted in mystery
The olive tree was originally planted in the back garden of the Manse in 1875 by Mr Mars Miller, a lay preacher and olive oil manufacturer. The story of its origin is that it was brought back from Jerusalem by one of Wesley’s founders around 1839. Yet its whereabouts in the 36 years before its planting here remains a mystery.
Recent research, made possible by digitisation of historical newspapers, has revealed an additional clue in the puzzle. Newspaper articles from 1872 report that Mars Miller, of Brunswick, was in fact an olive oil manufacturer. His olive oil was mentioned during a hearing of the Foreign Industries and Forests Commission examination of witnesses. Samples of Miller’s olive oil were described as ‘of exquisite flavour and promised well for the future of this industry here’.
The tree has occupied different spots within the site. It was originally planted in the back garden of the Manse. A 1919 account noted ‘an interesting feature of the property is the row of bamboos and the splendid olive tree in the parsonage yard’. The Olive Tree was relocated in 1988 to its current location to the north of the church."
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