If you wait long enough, you will find the answer!
Back at the end of August I asked if anyone knew the name of this tree. It was the shape that confused me.
Well I don’t like to be beaten so I kept digging! Eventually I discovered that The Landscape Centre at Donegore had the contract for the IKEA site. I phoned and a very nice gentleman informed me that the trees that so fascinated me were Pollarded Salix Alba.
Salix Alba or white Willow is common in the UK. They are fond of wet ground and often flank rivers and streams. The tree above was pollarded (cut off at just above head height) several times to give a rounded shape.
White willow is a traditional basket-making material and was also woven for sheep hurdles. Cricket bats are made from a cultivated derivative of the white willow.
So now you know!
Grannymar 
I should have recognized your photo, but I only know one species of tree it’s called ‘tree’. The Somerset levels, where I grew up, are lined with the withy trees, young willow is used for the basket making, being grown in fields and harvested.
http://www.somersetlevels.co.uk/information.cfm?y=y&page_id=13&cat_id=0
Ian,
I once and only once made a basket…. Now that would make a blog post! Have to did out a photo first!
Good research Grannymar.
Thanks Laura, sorry it took so long.
Ah…that makes sense looking at it.
Ian, I don’t know that you’d see many at that stage of growth even down there.
My sister is a basket maker down in that part of the world! I’ll send her the picture and see if she can identify it!
We once did basket making at school in about 1956 and it was with willow not with that cane stuff with wooden bases!
I’ve never seen those, but I am glad to know what they are.
Well thank God for that, now I can sleep at night!
Oi Rev, isnt a cricket bat made from willow?
Doh! Salix is the botanical name for the willow family.
Now you have had several days to study this topic, so exams will be in a months time!! 😉