A project to paint one of the world’s oldest elm trees with gold leafing has been finished ahead of its unveiling this week.

The second of the Preston Twins, which were planted in Brighton's Preston Park in around 1600, succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease in 2019, with hundreds mourning its loss.

But artist Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva took what was left of the huge tree and had spent years working on a way to honour its legacy, naming it The Gilded Elm.

The Argus: The Guilded ElmThe Guilded Elm (Image: The Argus)

Now her work, which is at the north end of Preston Park where the Twins stood, is complete and will be officially unveiled this week.

READ MORE: Preston Park Elm tree which was cut down to become sculpture

Elpida transformed the twisted trunk by preserving it with a special treatment to create a black tint, which contrasts with the gold-coloured leafing on the tree’s knobbles.

The artist removed the tree to work on it before it was transported back, surrounded by scaffolding, and put in place.

Elpida said: “The tree may be lost, but it needs to live in our memory, knowledge, and experience. This project is a final opportunity to hold and celebrate this disappearing past.”