Ancient oak linked to Elizabeth I on prize shortlist

Queen Elizabeth I is believed to have once rested in the shade of the oak

An ancient oak tree in West Sussex has been shortlisted for the annual Tree of the Year contest.

The Queen Elizabeth Oak, on the Cowdray Estate, in Midhurst, is among a dozen trees selected by a panel of experts from the Woodland Trust charity.

Estimated to be more than 1,000 years old, legend has it that Queen Elizabeth I rested in its shade while hunting on the estate in 1591.

Dr Kate Lewthwaite, citizen science manager at the trust, said the contenders had been chosen "because the history and the story around them was amazing".

Nick McDonald, land manager at the Cowdray Estate, said the tree was so wide that "an old style Mini" could fit in its hollowed-out trunk.

"It's actually quite short but has...a nearly 14-metre girth on it," he told BBC Radio Sussex, adding that the nomination was "really special".

'Legal protection'

It is believed a lightning strike left the tree's middle hollow.

Mr McDonald said it had "basically survived so long because it's been pollarded over the last 1,000 years".

Pollarding is a pruning system in which the top and branches of a tree are removed to encourage new growth.

An online public poll will select the winner of the 12 contenders, which will then go forward to compete in the European Tree of the Year contest early in 2025.

The Woodland Trust said the list highlights that "ancient trees have very little legal protection".

As well as voting in the competition, the charity is asking the public to sign its Living Legends petition, calling for stronger laws around cutting down valuable trees.

Adam Cormack, head of campaigns at the Trust, said it was "essential that future generations have the opportunity to stand under a centuries-old oak and wonder what stories it holds".