A historic horse chestnut tree in Waterloo Square, Alfriston had to be felled in December because of its poor condition.
Tree surgeons were surprised when they struck a rod made of iron embedded in it and they did not know why.
The mystery has been solved by local historian and author Peter Longstaff-Tyrrell, who has written books on Alfriston.
He says older villagers recall the village weather vane was rooted into the tree.
The tree is shown in a Sussex County Magazine photo from February 1954, above.
The original tree was planted there to commemorate Queen Victoria's coronation in 1837 and as a sapling it was moved from the back of the Ye Old Smugglers Inn.
Nearby, the Market Cross was felled in November 1955 by a passing lorry, as shown below, but it was later rebuilt.
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