RESIDENTS in Wath-upon-Dearne were saddened after the beloved ‘granny’ tree at the quarry had fallen overnight.

The tree, affectionately nicknamed ‘granny’, was discovered by Wath-upon-Dearne resident Gemma Hallows, 37, who shared the news on social media.

It sat on the quarry at Quarry Hill Road and has been a staple of the area for decades.

The tree was one of two called ‘granny and grandad’ thanks to families swinging between them on a rope swing because both stood close to each other.

Gemma told We Are Barnsley: “I live just next to the quarry and heard a really strange and loud noise on Thursday night.

“I didn’t think much of it until Friday morning when I saw that the much-loved granny tree had fallen.

“This is famous in Wath for being a rite of passage for children and families. I think most of us have tales of carving our names into it, swinging from it and sitting by it.

“I shared the post on Facebook and the comments have been filled with people recounting the memories they’ve had with granny.

“It’s really sad to see it fall as it holds a lot of memories for so many people. It looks to have just fallen over time.”