In the orchard at Woolsthorpe Manor we are custodians of a very special apple tree. Yes, the very tree from which an apple fell and caused Newton to ask the question: 'Why do apples always fall straight down to the ground?'

The tree first put down roots around 400 years ago. For at least 240 years it has been shown to visitors as Isaac Newton's apple tree.



Here he began to think about why everything always fell down - not sideways, or upwards - and came to the conclusion that there must be a power (now we call it a force) that draws them. 'How far would that power extend?', he thought. 'Why not as far as the moon?'.

The story of the apple falling inspiring Newton is a scientific legend, but there are many truths in it. We know he was constantly inspired by the natural world around him. This caused him to question, explore and experiment. Later in life, Newton himself told the story to his biographers, both William Stukeley and John Conduitt, and they recorded it in their writings.