Hertfordshire
Private Location
We have been fortunate enough to gather acorns from a wonderful estate in Hertfordshire who have asked us to respectfully maintain privacy over its location, which we hereby honour.
The parkland has many wonderful veteran and ancient oaks, several well over 500 years old, and one or two perhaps in the region of 900 to 1,000 years old.
Gloriana
Species: Quercus robur (Pedunculate Oak)
Estimated Age (in 2025): 706 years old.
Form: natural Pollard - a very characterful gnarly old oak, with a low canopy, not more than 10m tall (in 2025)
Girth at 1.5m: 8.03m (measured in 2023).
Estimated Year of Birth: 1319 AD.
Reigning Monarch at the time: Edward II.
Story: this old Pollard oak has quite an unusual shape and was full of acorns in 2022but looked a little bit 'peaky' in 2023.
Sizes available:
40-100cm, 2 Litre pots (45 available).
Oakling ages: 3-year-olds (2022 seed).
ID codes: BP 1738.
One Trunk Pollard
Species: Quercus robur (Pedunculate Oak)
Estimated Age: 568 years
Form: a very large pollard oak with a single main large bole and the remains of a second large branch. A fecund oak, heaving with acorns in 2022!
Girth: 7.15m (measured in 2023, a bit lower than usual to avoid the dead protruding right-hand aspect of the bole).
Estimated Year of Birth: 1457 AD.
Reigning Monarch at the time: Henry VI.
Story: one of a number of special trees in this remarkable private park.
Sizes available:
40-100cm, 2 Litre pots (242 available)
40-100cm, 4 Litre pots (3 available)
75-125cm, 7 Litre pots (2 available)
Oakling ages: 3 years old (2022 seed).
ID codes: BP 1740.
Elephant Oak
Species: Quercus robur (Pedunculate Oak)
Estimated Age (in 2025): 1,020 years if we were to follow the usual calculations, but on account of the extreme burring on this tree, we feel perhaps it is more like 750 years old, +/- 150 years old.
Form: Pollard.
Girth at 1.5m: 9.75m (measured in 2022).
Estimated Year of Birth: 1275 AD (but could perhaps be as old as 1075 AD or younger - more like 1475).
Reigning Monarch at the time: Edward I 'Longshanks'
Story: this is one of the most incredible trees we have seen, a gargantuan, twisting, turning, meandering giant, with bundles of character and charm
Sizes available:
40-100cm, 2 Litre pots (2 available, 6 RESERVED)
Oakling ages: 3-year-old (2022 seed).
ID codes: BP 1741.
Old Stumpy
Species: Quercus robur (Pedunculate Oak)
Estimated Age (in 2025): 1,111 years.
Form: Pollard.
Girth at 1.5m: 10.14m (measured in 2023).
Estimated Year of Birth: 914 AD (of course this is a bit of a wild guess, but it helps us understand the timeframes that oaks live in).
Reigning Monarch at the time: Edward 'The Elder' (reigned 899-924).
Story: one of 'our' trees almost certainly over 1,000 years old, with little burring, and a huge girth. In 914, England saw significant conflict and consolidation under King Edward the Elder and Æthelflæd of Mercia against Viking invaders, with Æthelflæd building forts at Warwick and Eddisbury, while Edward's forces raided Danish territories, bringing back relics and ravaging York. It's entirely possible this tree was having it's 1,000th birthday party as troops were heading off to France at the start of WW1. This puts everything into perspective as at the time of writing there is probably only one Briton alive who remembers the troops coming home (Ethel Caterham, currently aged 116, as of 19th January 2026).
Sizes available:
40-100cm, 2 Litre pots (50 available, 43 KEPT for growing on to larger sizes)
50-125cm, 4 Litre pots (2 available, 2 KEPT for growing on to larger sizes, 2 RESERVED FOR PARK REPLANTING)
Oakling ages: 3-year-old (2022 seed).
ID codes: BP 1744.