Queen Elizabeth's Oak, Greenwich Park, Ancient oak tree in Greenwich Park, United Kingdom.
Queen Elizabeth's Oak is the remains of an ancient tree in Greenwich Park, a royal park in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London. What survives today is the weathered stump of the original tree, along with a younger replacement tree planted close by.
The tree was already old when the Palace of Placentia was built in the 15th century, the birthplace of Henry VIII and his daughters. It died during the 19th century but remained standing until a storm brought it down in 1991.
The tree is named after Queen Elizabeth I, who was born at the nearby palace and reportedly played among these trees as a child. Visitors today stand before the weathered remains and feel the link to a time when this ground was a royal garden.
The remains are enclosed by a metal fence and sit in an easily walkable part of the park. A visit works best as part of a wider stroll through the grounds, since the spot on its own offers little to linger over.
After dying in the 19th century, the hollow trunk stayed upright for over 100 years, held in place only by the ivy growing around it. The hollow inside was reportedly large enough to fit several people at once.
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