The Tortworth Chestnut is an ancient

sweet chestnut ''Castanea sativa'', the sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut or just chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. A substantial, long-lived ...

(''Castanea sativa'') tree in

Tortworth Tortworth is a small village and civil parish, near Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, Thornbury in Gloucestershire, England. It has a population of 147 as of 2011. It lies on the B4509 road, which crosses the M5 motorway to the west of Tortworth. ...

, South Gloucestershire. The exact age of the tree is unknown, but various sources provide estimates. Two accounts in 1664 and 1712 record the tree growing in, respectively, the 12th and 13th century, dating it at over 800 years old. The tree was known as "the Old Chestnut of Tortworth" in 1150, suggesting it is over 1,000 years old. More romantically, a legend recounts that the tree sprang from a nut planted in 800 AD during the reign of

King Egbert Ecgberht (770/775 – 839), also spelled Egbert, Ecgbert, Ecgbriht, Ecgbeorht, and Ecbert, was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was King Ealhmund of Kent. In the 780s, Ecgberht was forced into exile to Charlema ...

The tree can be accessed via a lane next to the churchyard of St Leonard's in Tortworth. The original trunk has little live growth but over centuries new trunks have formed where branches have developed, subsided and re-rooted, and continued to flourish. This method of growth, and the space afforded by the estate in which to achieve it, has ensured the chestnut's longevity but hinders simple measurement of the tree's size. In 1791 the tree was measured at 44 feet (13 metres) at its widest part. More recently, its girth measured at a height of 1 metre was 11 metres in 1988, and 12 metres in 2013. The tree produced fruits as recently as 1788. The tree is one of 50

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 ...

across the United Kingdom that were selected 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 commemorate 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 ...

References

{{reflist Individual trees in England Tourist attractions in South Gloucestershire District