The Queen Elizabeth Oak is a large sessile oak tree (''
Quercus petraea
''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Cornish oak, Irish Oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unofficial emble ...
'') in
Cowdray Park near the village of
Lodsworth
Lodsworth is a small village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It is situated between Midhurst and Petworth, half a mile north of the A272 road. It lies within the South Downs National Park, just to the north o ...
in the
Western Weald
The western Weald is an area of undulating countryside in Hampshire and West Sussex containing a mixture of woodland and heathland areas.
It lies to the south of the towns of Bordon, Haslemere and Rake and to the west of the town of Pulborough. ...
,
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...
, England. It lies within the
South Downs National Park
The South Downs National Park is England's newest national park, designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east through the counties of Hamp ...
. It has a girth of ,
and is about 800–1,000 years old. According to this estimate it began to grow in the 11th or 12th century AD. In June 2002,
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 ...
designated the Queen Elizabeth Oak, one of fifty
Great British Trees
The Great British Trees were 50 trees selected by The Tree Council in 2002 to spotlight trees in the United Kingdom in honour of the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
England
Western England
* Tortworth Chestnut in Tortworth, Gloucestershire
* Wes ...
, in recognition of its place in the national heritage. According to the
Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland Natural heritage, heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972 ...
, the tree is the third largest sessile oak tree to be recorded in the United Kingdom after the
Pontfadog Oak
The Pontfadog Oak was a sessile oak tree (''Quercus petraea'') that stood on Cilcochwyn farm above the village of Pontfadog, in the Ceiriog Valley west of Chirk in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales, until it was blown over in the early hours o ...
in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and the
Marton Oak in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, although this tree is now fragmented.
According to legend,
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
stood near the tree with an arrow ready in her bow waiting for a stag to be driven within range for her to shoot it, although she was unsuccessful.
See also
*
List of individual trees
The following is a list of notable trees. Trees listed here are regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context. The list includes actual trees located throughout the world, as well as ...
*
List of Great British Trees
The Great British Trees were 50 trees selected by The Tree Council in 2002 to spotlight trees in the United Kingdom in honour of the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
England
Western England
* Tortworth Chestnut in Tortworth, Gloucestershire
* We ...
References
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External links
Monumental trees in Cowdray Park in Midhurst.Recorded information about the Queen Elizabeth Oak on the Ancient Tree Hunt
Individual oak trees
Individual trees in England
West Sussex
Elizabeth I