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Ancient trees and sites to visit
South West England

Listed below are some individual ancient trees of interest, together with sites where there are concentrations of ancient and other veteran trees. We have only included sites which we believe are open to the public but recommend that you check before visiting


Ashton Court Park

The Ashton Court Estate is made up of 850 acres of woods and parkland designed by Humphry Repton. It became a deer park over 600 years ago, and has some magnificent old oak trees including the Domesday Oak.

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Photo by Brian Muelaner

Barrington Court, Somerset

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Bickenhall Old Churchyard, Somerset

Old disused churchyard with ancient yew tree and interesting wild flowers.

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Branscombe, Devon

Just up from the Old Bakery in Branscombe lies a small wood pasture made up of ancient ash pollards, once used to supply the bakery with fuel for its bread ovens.

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Photo by John Smith

Clovelly Court Park, Devon

Oaks. Nationally important site for lichens.

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Crickley Hill, Gloucestershire

There are ancient beech pollards and oaks at Crickley Country Park.

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Dinton Park, Wiltshire

Although Philipps House at Dinton only dates back to 1816 the parkland trees are evidence of a much more ancient landscape. Of particular note is the massive sweet chestnut near to the house.

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Dunster Park, Somerset

Oaks in medieval deer park.

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Walking horse chestnut at Dyrham (photo credit: Brian Muelaner)

Dyrham Park, South Gloucestershire

Dyrham deer park is a beautifully landscaped parkland with some stunning ancient ash trees, walking horse chestnut, layering small leafed lime and lots of deer. 

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Ethy Park and Woods, Cornwall

Ethy Park Woods has 75 large oaks, ash, plus a beech.

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Forest of Dean, Speech House Oaks

This grazed, medieval forest with oak pollards was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, in part for being the richest known site for epiphytic flora in the area. It contains a number of uncommon lichens and bryophytes.

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Forthampton oaks

This site has some magnificent ancient oaks with spectacular views to Tewkesbury Abbey.

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Holt Forest, Dorset

Medieval forest.

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Horner Wood, Somerset

664 trees recorded including oak, rowan and ash.

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Killerton Park, Devon

Killerton Park is one of the National Trust's largest sites, at 6,400 acres. There are 514 significant trees recorded there, including oaks, sweet chestnut and birch.

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Kings Barrow beeches, Wiltshire

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Kingston Lacy, Dorset

196 trees ancient and veteran trees have been recorded at Kingston Lacy, including 82 oak pollards.  The trees on the stunning beech avenue (pictured) were planted either side of a newly built road, which was created as a  toll road.

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Lanhydrock Park, Cornwall

Lanhydrock, which covers 1,000 acres, is one of the best properties for veteran and ancient trees in the south west, with parkland and woods, and hundreds of veteran oak and beech.

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Leigh Woods, Somerset

631 trees recorded including oak, lime and several rare endemic whitebeam.

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By Brian Muelaner

Lodge Park and Sherborne Estate, Gloucestershire

1,008 trees recorded including beech, ash, lime, oak and hawthorn.

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Prior Park, Somerset

136 trees recorded including beech, horse chestnut and yew.

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Ancient holly coppice stools

Ringmoor and Turnworth Down, Dorset

The National Trust site of Ringmoor and Turnworth Down is an Iron Age hill fort on an old common.  It is also a lapsed wood pasture with some fine examples of both lapsed pollards, ash and holly, as well as a very impressive ancient ash coppice stool.

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Saltram, Devon

Saltram parkland lies on the edge of the busy port city of Plymouth, yet it has extensive wild places to explore and to find quite stunning veteran and ancient trees. Some of the boundary oaks are of particular interest. The old hedgerow sycamore tells the story of how the landscape has altered over the past centuries.

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Sherborne Park, Dorset

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Stock Gaylard Estate, North Dorset

An English (Pendunculate) oak, the Crusader is one of over 100 ancient and other veteran trees to be found in the deer park at the Stock Gaylard Estate. 

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Stourhead, Wiltshire

229 trees recorded including sweet chestnut, ash and various champion trees.

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Tyntesfield, North Somerset

274 trees recorded including beech, oak, sweet chestnut, lime and champion rare trees in the garden.

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Whiddon Park, Devon

Whiddon Deer Park, situated to the south east of Castle Drogo on Dartmoor, is a magical wild ancient landscape. Massive old gnarled oaks, magnificent majestic beech and hollowed out old crab apple cohabit in this very special part of Devon

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