Bowthorpe Oak in
Manthorpe near
Bourne, Lincolnshire
Bourne is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Kesteven Non-metropolitan district, district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the eastern slopes of the limestone Kesteven Uplands and the western edge of the ...
, is a gigantic and ancient
pedunculate oak in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. The tree has a circumference of about and has a hollow
trunk, making it the second-widest individual tree in the UK, only surpassed by the significantly older and much less-intact
Marton Oak in Cheshire. It is commonly thought to be the UK's oldest oak tree on account of its size, although it is surpassed in age by the 1,200-year old Marton Oak, and the 1,300-1,500 year old
King Offa's Oak at Windsor.
The tree can be found on Bowthorpe Park Farm. 'Bowthorpe' is 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 in 2002 to spotlight trees in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
in honour of the
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
The Bowthorpe Oak is featured in ''
The Guinness Book of Records'' 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 about the life of oak trees.
It was a filming location for the 2011 film
''Hollow'', directed by Michael Axelgaard.
See also
*
List of Great British Trees
*
List of individual trees
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