Cutting from Sir Isaac Newton's apple tree given to University of Lincoln

The graft from the 400-year-old tree in the orchard of Woolsthorpe Manor will be given to the University if Lincoln

A cutting from Sir Isaac Newton's apple tree has been donated to the University of Lincoln.

An apple falling in the orchard of Woolsthorpe Manor near Grantham in 1666 is thought to have inspired Newton to speculate on the nature of gravity.

The university will nurture the graft for two years before planting it next to its Sir Isaac Newton Building.

Newton was born at Woolsthorpe Manor in 1642.

The apple tree at Woolsthorpe Manor - now owned by the National Trust - is protected by a willow fence

A University of Lincoln spokesperson said the cutting from the 400-year-old tree would now be nurtured for up to two years before being planted next to the Sir Isaac Newton Building.

The Sir Isaac Newton Building is an extension of the University of Lincoln's current Engineering Hub and will become home to the new Schools of Mathematics and Physics, Engineering and Computer Science.

Sir Isaac Newton carried out scientific research at Woolsthorpe Manor. One experiment involved sticking a blunt needle in his eye to see its effect