Bowthorpe Oak in Manthorpe near

Bourne, Lincolnshire Bourne is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the eastern slopes of the limestone Kesteven Uplands and the western edge of the Fens, 11 miles (18 km) north-east of Stamford, 12 mil ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

is perhaps England's oldest

oak tree An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

with an estimated age of over 1,000 years. The tree has a circumference of about and has a hollow trunk. The tree can be found on Bowthorpe Park Farm. 'Bowthorpe' was the name of a deserted medieval village. The farm offers pre-booked private tours of the tree. The hollow interior of the trunk had been fitted with seats and has apparently been used as a dining room for 20 people in the past. The tree has now been fenced to protect the roots from soil compaction. The oak was selected as one of 50 Great British Trees picked by

The Tree Council The Tree Council was founded in 1974 in the United Kingdom, and became a Charitable organization#Charity registration, registered charity in 1978. Its primary objective is to act as an umbrella organisation for local groups involved in the plant ...

in 2002 to spotlight trees in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

in honour of the

Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II The Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration held in 2002 marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50 years as ...

. The Bowthorpe Oak is featured in ''

The Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' and was filmed for a short TV documentary about its size. It also appeared in the 2017 documentary ''Oak Tree: Nature's Greatest Survivor'', hosted by

George McGavin George C. McGavin is a British entomologist, author, academic, television presenter and explorer. Background McGavin attended Daniel Stewart's College, a private school in Edinburgh, then studied Zoology at the University of Edinburgh from 1 ...

about the life of oak trees. It was a filming location for the 2011 film ''Hollow'', directed by Michael Axelgaard.

References

External links

{{commonscat, Bowthorpe Oak
Bowthorpe Park Farm

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110205092304/http://www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk/discoveries/newdiscoveries/2007/bowthorpeoak.htm Woodland Trust notes] Individual oak trees Environment of Lincolnshire History of Lincolnshire South Kesteven District Individual trees in England

See also

References

External links