The Corstorphine Sycamore or Plane tree stood beside the Dovecot for over four centuries, possibly six, until it was finally blown down at 8.10pm in the strong winds of 26th December 1998.
This tree has the more unusual distinction because it does not produce seeds and can only be propagated from cuttings. It is also a botanical subspecies on its own giving its name to the species - Acer pseudoplatanus corstorphinensis.
Its nearest daughter tree is at the gate way to the Old Parish Church, at the east end of the High Street.Tradition credits its origin to a sapling brought from the East by a monk in the early 15th century. It is more probable that it is a 16th century relic of the avenue of trees that led to Corstorphine Castle. This avenue was an eastern approach to the castle from what is nowSaughton Road and might be what Skene saw and painted in his watercolour titled "Near Corstorphin". It is also shown on the 1777 village map. Henry Forrester was interested in cultivating the castle gardens so he may have had the avenue planted as a pleasant approach to his modernisation of the old castle - his "New Wark".
This ancient tree was almost 55 feet high (16.7m) and 12½ feet (3.8m) in girth. The Rev. James Oliver appreciated its beauty for he noted it in the Statistical Account for 1795: "There is growing near the village in a close belonging to Sir William Dick, a sycamore tree of considerable size and the largest in Scotland, which in the end of May and beginning of June exhibits an appearance of the most striking beauty. That side which is exposed to the sun, in the colour of the leaves, is of the richest vivid yellow hue".
Besides its beauty, it also has the glamour of tragedy. The tree gained notoriety as the scene of the murder of Lord James Forrester on 26th August 1679 by his mistress, and niece, Christian Nimmo. Her ghost is said still to haunt the tree. There are also legends of buried treasure, ghostly voices and no doubt many unrecorded incidents associated with this tree.
When the site was feued in 1870 for South Lodge the sycamore tree and the ground 16 feet in diameter around it were excluded. In 1955 the Edinburgh Corporation placed it under a Tree Preservation Order for its protection. Mr William Dickson W.S., the last Dickson Baron of Corstorphine, gifted the tree and the ground about it to The Corstorphine Trust in 1970. At the handing over ceremony, on 22nd April 1970, Mr Dickson passed the symbols of sasine (title) to the Chairman of the Corstorphine Trust, Dr E.A. Cormack, saying, "With this twig, earth, and stone I give you sasine of the Corstorphine sycamore tree". The Trust had the tree treated for a fungal infection and guyed in 1989. This would let the tree withstand a push of 500 tonnes during summer, when the tree’s canopy would be fully leaved.
Another part of the tree’s legend says one of the Lord Forresters buried his money and jewels under the tree, the roots of which twining themselves around the hidden gold send the golden sap upwards to colour the young leaves in spring. The treasure has an unseen guardian, as a villager Tamie Patie found out one night, when with pick and shovel he started to dig for wealth. Before he had dug very deep a voice from under the earth commanded him to stop - which he did leaving behind his pick and shovel, as he bolted up the road to the refuge of his home at Irish Corner.
When the tree blew down some of the wood was saved and made in to many souvenirs like bowls, egg cups, clocks, spirtles plaques and at least a couple of violins, so many people now have a part of old Corstorphine.
