A cedar that The Beatles climbed, an oak from a poem within a Virginia Woolf book, and a solitary beech from the final scenes of ‘1917’ – these trees have all been shortlisted for the Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year competition.
Voting has opened and a winner will be announced in September, before representing the UK in the European Tree of the Year finals.
The nominees were chosen along the theme ‘Rooted in Culture’, highlighting how trees are ingrained in our cultural landscape. They have long been a source of inspiration and quiet companions for creative minds, and Tree of the Year 2025 is a celebration of this connection.
Image: This year’s public wildcard nomination was the ‘Argyle Street Ash’ - Tree Wise Urban Forestry
Woodland Trust patron, actress and author, Dame Judi Dench said: “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, and I'm delighted to announce the shortlist of the 2025 Tree of the Year competition, featuring trees that foster creativity and inspire. I hope you will join me in voting.”
Tree of the Year, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, features 10 trees of differing ages and species from across the UK, with nine selected by a panel of experts, plus a wildcard from the public. The ‘Argyle Street Ash’ was put forward by David Treanor from Glasgow, who pointed to its reference in James Cowan’s 1935 book From Glasgow’s Treasure Chest as “quite the most graceful ash I have seen.”
Laura Chow, head of charities at People's Postcode Lottery said: "We're delighted our players are supporting this year's Tree of the Year competition, and what an inspiring shortlist! These trees have witnessed key moments in history, provided solace to war poets, been a supporting artist in a blockbuster film, and inspired reflection and creative photography as the seasons change. We're looking forward to seeing which one the public votes as the winning tree".
The shortlist:
1. The Borrowdale Yews, Cumbria
Age: ~2,000 years
Species: yew
Cultural connection: poetry
On an exposed Cumbrian hillside, this huddle of ancients was described by William Wordsworth in his 1803 poem, Yew Trees. The trees also featured in Francis Frith photographs, John Lowe’s 1896 book The Yew-Trees of Great Britain and Ireland, and a 1922 watercolour by Alfred Heaton Cooper. Wordsworth referred to four yews, but one was lost in the Great Storm of 1884, though its remains still lie alongside the others. They appear to be separate trees, but DNA has proven that they all grew from the same original tree.
2. King of Limbs, Wiltshire
Age: ~1,000 years
Species: sessile oak
Cultural connection: music
It’s easy to see how this tree got its name, with long sprawling branches extending at every angle from the wide, hollowing trunk. Estimated to be over 1,000 years old, the branches of this behemoth were regularly cut back to encourage regrowth (known as pollarding) until the 19th century, resulting in the fascinating shape it has today. Radiohead’s 2011 album, King of Limbs, was named after this ancient oak, which the band spotted when recording In Rainbows, at nearby Tottenham House.
3. Wilfred Owen Sycamore, Edinburgh
Age: 100+ years
Species: sycamore
Cultural connection: poetry, music
Growing in the grounds of Edinburgh Napier University, formerly Craiglockhart War Hospital, this sycamore was part of the surroundings in 1917 when the poet Wilfred Owen was treated here for shellshock. He met and was inspired by fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon at the hospital, and wrote his most famous poems here, before returning to France in 1918 where he was killed in action. When a large branch of the tree was removed for safety reasons in 2014, local instrument maker Steve Burnett made a violin from the wood to commemorate 100 years since World War I started and honour Wilfred Owen’s memory. The violin has his pre-war poem Written in a Wood, September 1910, inscribed inside it.
4. Tree of Peace and Unity, Co. Antrim
Age: ~100 years
Species: lime
Cultural connection: symbolism, history
This iconic lime is actually formed of two trees that grew together and bound into a single trunk, which is now inseparable. Merged in this way, they have become a symbol of harmony and hope, and newly married couples sit beneath it for a blessing. The tree became a symbol of peace and reconciliation when Tony Blair, David Trimble and John Hume met here in 1998 at the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
5. Lollipop Tree, Salisbury Plain
Age: unknown
Species: beech
Cultural connection: film
Named for the shape of its rounded canopy and tall, slender trunk, this beech tree standing alone on a grassy plain 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, which features trees and references to trees throughout.
6. The Beatles’ cedar tree, Chiswick
Age: 300
Species: cedar of Lebanon
Cultural connection: music
One of several looming cedars of Lebanon in the grounds of Chiswick House that date from the 1720s, this tree and its neighbours have been admired by the likes of Queen Victoria and the Shah of Persia, but it makes the shortlist for its cultural credentials as a key feature in a Beatles music video. The Fab Four perched on one of its low-swooping boughs in 1966 as they played Rain, the B-side to Paperback Writer. The image was also used as the cover for their Nowhere Man EP.
7. Knole Park Oak, Kent
Age: 150+ years
Species: sessile oak
Cultural connection: literature
Elegantly overlooking the other trees at Knole Park, this 135-ft (41m) sessile oak is thought to be 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.”
8. Bradgate Park’s Oldest Oak, Leicestershire
Age: 825 years
Species: English oak
Cultural connection: history
This magnificent oak would already have been an impressive mature tree in the grounds of Bradgate House when Lady Jane Grey, the ‘Nine Days Queen’, was born there in 1537. Lady Jane Grey holds the unfortunate record of shortest reigning monarch in British history, occupying the throne for just nine days in July 1553 before being overthrown by Mary I and – after refusing to change religion – beheaded. Legend has it that in an act of mourning, the upper branches of Bradgate Park’s oaks were removed; this one has been cut back in the past, though it’s not known why.
9. Lonely Tree, Llanberis
Age: 30+ years
Species: birch
Cultural connection: photography, TV
Perched against a vast, glassy lake and Eryri's majestic mountains, this hardy young birch is a cherished local landmark and a photographer’s dream. The weather has twisted its shape, making it a fascinating focus for the lens. In September 2024, Netflix closed an area of the lake to film battle scenes for The Witcher, starring Liam Hemsworth. Set for release later this year, it remains to be seen if the Lonely Tree will make the cut!
10. Argyle Street Ash, Glasgow
This year’s public wildcard nomination, the Argyle Street Ash, was put forward by David Treanor from Glasgow, who said it is also called ‘The Lone Tree of Finnieston’ and was formerly known as ‘The Only Tree on Argyle Street’. The tree was described in James Cowan’s 1935 book From Glasgow’s Treasure Chest as “quite the most graceful ash I have seen.” It was the first tree in Glasgow to receive a Tree Preservation Order and is a symbol of resilience locally, having survived Victorian industry, the Clydeside Blitz, recent redevelopment and – thus far – ash dieback.
Voting for the Woodland Trust’s 2025 Tree of the Year is open until 19 September via the Woodland Trust website, with a winner announced on 26 September.
For more information visit the Tree of the Year webpage.
