A cedar scaled by The Beatles, a stand of ancient yews that inspired William Wordsworth, and a lone birch which Liam Hemsworth could soon make a lot more famous are fighting it out to be crowned the country’s best tree.
But which one wins will be up to you. Voting is now underway in the Woodland Trust’s 2025 Tree of the Year competition, an annual celebration of some of the oldest, most unique and storied denizens of parks and woodlands across the UK. There are only a few days left to cast your vote (which you can do online here), with the ballots closing at midnight on Friday, September 19.
After they’ve been tallied up, the winner will be announced next Friday (September 26). The victor will then go on to represent the UK at the European Tree of the Year finals.
This year’s theme was ‘rooted in culture’, meaning each of the nominees has inspired poems, graced our movie screens, or played a part in history. Actress Dame Judi Dench, who is also a patron of the Woodland Trust, says that our oldest trees “hold more stories than Shakespeare”.
“Some were putting down roots long before he began writing, more than 400 years ago. They are as much part of our heritage as any literature.” Each of the 2025 finalists were “trees that foster creativity and inspire”, she continued. “I hope you will join me in voting.”
Here are the ten trees from across the UK amongst this year’s finalists – and just what makes each of them so special:
5. Lollipop Tree, Salisbury Plain
This beech tree is one for the film buffs. The Woodland Trust says it’s named for the shape of its rounded canopy and tall, slender trunk. The lollipop tree stands alone on a grassy plain, and has been popular with photographers for years. It also played a starring role in the poignant final scenes of Sam Mendes’ World War I film, 1917. | Lee Cooper/Supplied
6. The Beatles’ Cedar Tree, Chiswick
This 300-year-old is a cedar of Lebanon, one of several on the grounds of Chiswick House. As well as being admired by Queen Victoria and the Shah of Persia throughout the years, it also starred in a Beatles music video. All four perched on a low-swooping bough in 1966 as they played Rain, the B-side to Paperback Writer. The image was later used as the cover for their Nowhere Man EP. | Woodland Trust/Supplied
7. Knole Park Oak, Kent
Another sessile oak, this one is a comparative youngster at just 150. But at 135 feet tall, it’s thought to be one of the tallest in Britain. It is also believed to be the oak that inspires Orlando’s epic 'Oak Tree' poem in Virginia Woolf’s novel, Orlando. In the early pages, Orlando is described as walking “to a place crowned by a single oak tree... so high indeed that nineteen English counties could be seen beneath”. | Lee Cooper/Supplied
8. Bradgate Park’s Oldest Oak, Leicestershire
This English oak is thought to be about 825, and would already have been an impressive tree on the grounds of Bradgate House when Lady Jane Grey was born there in 1537. The 'nine days queen' was the shortest reigning monarch in British history before being overthrown and eventually beheaded. Local legend has it that in an act of mourning, the upper branches of Bradgate Park’s oaks were removed. This one’s have been cut in the past – although no one really knows why. | Robb Doyle/Supplied