Ancient Oaks are a staple across the British countryside and it is thought there are around 100 of these trees throughout the country. To be classified as an ancient oak the tree needs to be at least 800 years old. There has been a decline in the number of oak trees found as they were popular during the middle ages as a construction material, especially in the shipbuilding industry. There would have been lots of timber imported from abroad as well as domestic timber being used throughout the country. The sourcing of timber would have been very similar to how

Timber Merchants Southampton work today.

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There are a number of trees that have been noted as significant, some have even made it into stories. For example the large oak tree that sheltered Robin Hood and his Merry Men in Sherwood Forest draws in large numbers of people each year.

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There is one other tree that has gained a lot of interest over the years and this is a 1,046 year old Oak that can be found in the woodland around Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and it is thought to be the oldest Oak in Britain. When last measured it was estimated that the tree began growing back in AD 970 which was an entire century before the Norman conquest. In fact researchers have found over 60 ancient oaks in its woodland area over recent years all dating back to the Middle Ages.