The horse chestnut tree is native to the Balkans. Settlers transported it to the UK in the late 1500s, and much later to Vancouver Island. Horse chestnut trees are often used in landscaping and can be found lining city streets. These tall trees produce white flowers and a shiny brown seed (or nut) enclosed in prickly green casing. Though the word “chestnut” is part of its common name, a horse chestnut is not closely related to the trees bearing edible chestnuts. In fact, the conkers cannot be ingested by humans, as they are toxic. 

Though not as popular today, for generations children in Britain and Canada collected the fruits which fall from the horse chestnut trees in September and October to play a game called Conkers. The game involves two players at a time. Each player carefully selects a conker – or several, in case of breakage – that has a hard, uncracked, symmetrical surface. An experienced player knows that a good conker will sink in water; one that floats is more likely to crack. They drill a hole through the centre with something sharp, such as a screwdriver, then thread a piece of string or shoelace – about 20-30 cm long – through it, and tie the end of the string in a knot so that the string will not slip out. Players take turns swinging their conkers at their opponent’s conker. Whoever breaks the other conker first is the winner. 

There are still World Conker Championships held every year in the county of Northamptonshire, England, as a fundraising event.

The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.