Tree search
Signing Oak
Windsor, Windsor and Maidenhead
Recorded by: Malcolm Gould
-
Trees of National Special Interest (TNSI)
- Species:
- Pedunculate oakQuercus robur
- Form:
- Maiden
- Standing or fallen:
- Standing
- Living status:
- Alive
- Girth:
- 9.72m at a height of 1.50m
- Veteran status:
- Ancient tree
- County:
- Windsor and Maidenhead
- Country:
- England
- Grid reference:
- SU96397342
- Public accessibility:
- Public - open access (e.g. public park)
- Surroundings:
- Parkland, Deer park
-
{{comment.comment}}
Back to summary
Signing Oak
Windsor, Windsor and Maidenhead
Recorded by: Malcolm Gould
- Species:
- Pedunculate oak
- Form:
- Maiden
- Standing or fallen:
- Standing
- Living status:
- Alive
- Girth:
- 9.72m at a height of 1.50m
- Condition:
- Holes or water pockets, Hollowing trunk, Hollowing branches, Decaying wood in the crown, Decaying wood on the ground
- Veteran status:
- Ancient tree
- Tree number:
- 8205
- Local or historic name:
- Signing Oak
- County:
- Windsor and Maidenhead
- Country:
- England
- Grid reference:
- SU96397342
- Public accessibility:
- Public - open access (e.g. public park)
- Surroundings:
- Parkland, Deer park
- Ancient tree site:
- Windsor Great Park (Berkshire)
- Woodland Trust wood:
- No
- Epiphytes:
- --
- Fungi:
- --
- Invertebrates:
- Yes
- Bats:
- --
- Recorded by:
- Malcolm Gould
- Recording organisation:
- --
- Last visited:
- 03/04/2025
- First recorded:
- 09/04/2008
The name ‘Signing Oak’ came about because it was under this tree a Statement of Intent was signed by the Crown Estate Commissioners and the Nature Conservancy Council (now Natural England) in 1972 that recognised the importance of Windsor Great Park as a special conservation area. The agreement outlined a protocol in relation to the management of the Park and the consultation process with the NCC that remained in place up until 2000 when the whole of the Park was designated a SSSI and an SAC which are legal designations with much more bite than the Statement if Intent which was more like a ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’. Information from Bill Cathcart, Superintendent of Windsor Great Park (by email).
I saw a lot of oaks during my visit here, including King Offa's oak, but this in my eyes was the biggest of them all, but not the oldest. Believed to be 900-1100 years old
Our research into the probable ages of ancient oaks gives maximum age estimates of 800 years for >10m oaks and this oak is <10m girth.