bartlomiej_w @tigg , I will ask the gardeners about this tree. Maybe you got the type of tree because there's very little chance it's dead. This area is very well maintained by the owner, once he even won a local competition for the most beautiful garden.
tigg I'm ready and waiting to be wrong! :-)
bartlomiej_w The gardener said it was a beech tree. You're right, it's a tree that sheds its old leaves only when it's about to put out new ones. And yes, it's still alive ;D
tigg Good!
tigg I wonder if it is a hornbeam - I think that keeps the old leaves until it is time for the new ones to appear. Or it could just be dead, I suppose!!!