A 300-YEAR-OLD piece of apple tree that helped put a village on the map will be taking centre stage at a show later this year.

Knaresborough Town Council has agreed to lend the glass case containing a piece of wood labelled Ribston Pippin, which is on display in the clerk's office at Harlow Carr Gardens, in Harrogate.

It will be exhibited as part of an apple show at the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens, in October.

Gardens' education officer Deirdre Walton was alerted to the piece of wood by Ros Watson who works for Harrogate's museums department.

A spokesman at Harlow Carr said: "Although she is not an expert, she recognised the name as an apple variety originating from Little Ribston, guessing it might be linked to the original tree there.

"The piece of wood in the showcase is part of the original 1707 tree. But the main claim to fame of this apple is that a pip from the Ribston Pippin gave rise to the apple that everyone knows as Cox's Orange Pippin."

A spokesman for Knaresborough Town Council said permission to loan the exhibit was given by councillors this week.