Warwickshire
Stoneleigh Park
Stoneleigh Park, near Warwick, is famous for its ancient oak trees, especially Shakespeare's Oak, a very old specimen within Stoneleigh Abbey's grounds believed to have inspired Shakespeare, drawing many visitors to see these majestic trees, symbols of strength and history in British culture. The extended landscape includes a modern golf course containing ancient and veteran oaks, two of which we have grown oaklings from.
Flanksman Oak
Species: Quercus robur (Pedunculate Oak)
Estimated Age: 772 years
Form: Maiden - showing amazingly clear retrenchment of the former high branching and growth of a lower canopy
Girth at 1.5m: 8.41m (measured in 2022)
Estimated Year of Birth: 1253.
Reigning Monarch at the time: Henry III.
Story: on the way back from visiting the Baginton Oak, Benedict suddenly found himself alongside the Stoneleigh Park golf course, on the way home, and remembered its significant collection of special oaks. After a quick visit to the 19th green, he was happily granted permission to gather acorns amidst people continuing their rounds of golf!
Sizes available: 40-100cm, 2 Litre pots (20 available).
Oakling ages: 3 years old (2022 seed)
ID codes: BP 1761.
Green Maiden Oak
Species: Quercus robur (Pedunculate Oak)
Estimated Age (in 2025): 538 years
Form: Maiden - a fantastic broad, tall and stout specimen
Girth at 1.5m: 6.94m (measured in 2022).
Estimated Year of Birth: 1487
Reigning Monarch at the time: King Henry VII (Tudor)
Story: another wonderfully deceptively large oak right by one of the golf course greens, where no doubt it gets fed a lot of fertiliser. I was thinking that at Mighty Fine Oaks we don't discriminate about oaks that live on golf courses, just because the land management may to be ideal in terms of conservation or 'wild wood pasture'. We don't see them as 'less than' ... and at that very moment an acorn dropped right next to me!
Sizes available: 40-100cm, 2 Litre pots (8 available).
Oakling ages: 3 years old (2022 seed).
ID codes: BP 1762.