Christmas is a season for giving. It is fitting at this time of the year to remember one of the great philanthropists of the Victorian era. Holly Lodge Estate in Highgate, London, was once home to Baroness Angela Burdett-Coutts, philanthropist and supporter of Sarawak in the early days. A loyal friend of Rajah James Brooke, the Baroness came to the rescue whenever she was needed - Without her friendship the fledgling state of Sarawak may not have survived.
The house, which once welcomed the rajah on his visits to England and hosted garden parties for the great and good, was torn down for development in 1929, and all that remains here of the Baroness' estate is this lone cedar tree planted by her in the 1860s.
