The Oak at the Gate of the Dead

Species: pedunculate oak (Quercus robur)
Age: 1000 years years
Region: Wrexham, Wales

In 1165 an invading English army was ambushed by Welsh forces in the wooded Ceiriog Valley. A brutal battle ensued and the dead were buried nearby, at the ‘Gap of the Graves’, or Adwy’r Meirwon in Welsh. The only living witness to this battle, the battle of Crogen, is this oak tree. Standing where it does, by a public highway, on the Offa’s Dyke Path and on the site of a famous battle, it is a well-known landmark and much valued by the local community. It is now something of a celebrity, having featured on many TV programmes. It even has its own Facebook page, one of the first trees in the world to do so!
Tree of the year 2014
1093 votes
9th place
Nominated by:
National contest organizer: Woodland Trust Wales
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