Allerton Oak shortlisted for England’s Tree of the Year

As the leaves are cascading, it's a time to take notice of the trees lining the streets and scenery around us - and there's exciting news as one of Liverpool's most famed trees has been shortlisted to become England's Tree of the Year.

The Allerton Oak - Calderstones Park's star attraction - has made the list of ten shortlisted trees, whittled down from over 200 nominations.  The first England's Tree of the Year award has been organised by The Woodland Trust to recognise the cultural and ecological value of England's countryside, as well as to discover which is the most unique and well-loved of the country's trees.

The list contains trees steeped in all kinds of history and heritage, including one where the Magna Carta was thought to have been signed and the inspiration for Newton's discovery on his theory of gravity. The Allerton Oak itself has many stories to tell, with its fables famous across the city. It is believed to have stood in Calderstones Park for over a thousand years, though in fact it is probably nearer to being 800 years old, and was the meeting place of The Hundred Court of Liverpool, in the absence of a court being available.

The Allerton Oak has also weathered destruction - some of its branches are missing and propped due to damage caused by the explosion of a gunpowder ship called the Lottie Sleigh in the River Mersey, which split the tree in half - and was also incorporated into keeping the spirit up during WWII, when leaves from the tree were pressed and included in Christmas cards sent to members of the park's staff who were serving in the forces.

The title of England's Tree of the Year will be decided by an online public vote, closing on Tuesday 4th November. The winner will go on to represent the country in the 2015 European Tree of the Year contest.

Head to The Woodland Trust's website to vote for The Allerton Oak: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/news/latest/england-toty/

And to inspire you further, here's an ode to trees of all shapes and sizes:

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer