What is the oldest tree in London?

The Totteridge Yew in St Andrew's churchyard, Totteridge, estimated at between 1,000 and 2,000 years old. Even the cautious low estimate makes it older than any building in the city.

Are London's ancient trees free to visit?

Nine of the ten trees on this list are free: they stand in public parks, churchyards and squares. The exception is the Old Lions of Kew, which need a Kew Gardens ticket.

Why does London have so many ancient trees?

Royal hunting parks. Kings walled off Richmond and Greenwich centuries ago, and the oaks inside were spared the clearing that transformed the surrounding countryside.

What is a London plane?

A hybrid plane tree that thrives on soot and hard pruning. London planted it everywhere from the 1700s on, and the tree took the city's name with it.

United Kingdom

Ancient Trees in London

No European capital does ancient trees quite like London. Its oldest oaks survive largely thanks to royal appetite: kings walled off huge hunting parks for their deer, and the trees inside were left to grow old while the countryside around them was cleared. The city even gave its name to the London plane, the soot-proof hybrid that lines its streets. These ten range from a churchyard yew older than Londinium itself to a plane tree once valued at three quarters of a million pounds, and all but one are free to visit.

This page is awaiting curation. Facts have been researched and cross-referenced, but the final human review is still in progress.

The Totteridge Yew

European Yew (Taxus baccata) · 2000 years · Totteridge, North London

The oldest living thing in London. This yew was already ancient when the Romans were building Londinium two thousand years ago. The church beside it was not built until the 13th century, meaning the tree is over a millennium older than the building that now stands next to it. Its trunk is hollow and propped, its girth nearly eight metres. The Hundred Court of the district once met in its shadow. It has been pollarded many times over the centuries, which is partly why it is still alive.

Access: Free, open access, churchyardGetting there: 15 min walk from Totteridge & Whetstone station (Northern Line)

Full story, map and directions for The Totteridge Yew

The Royal Oak

Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur) · 750 years · Richmond Park

The wall came second: this oak was already centuries old when Charles I enclosed Richmond Park around it in 1637. It is a massive hollow pollard, its trunk split and gnarled, wide enough to shelter a small football team, and it has lived behind royal fences ever since the King claimed the land for his deer. Richmond Park holds one of the largest collections of ancient oaks in Europe, and the Royal Oak is its figurehead. Sir David Attenborough made it the symbol of a conservation campaign. The deer still graze around it as they have for centuries.

Access: Free, open access, national parkGetting there: Bus or car to Richmond Park, then on foot near Pen Ponds

Full story, map and directions for The Royal Oak

The Cheapside Plane

London Plane (Platanus x acerifolia) · 250+ years · City of London

The only Great Tree of London in the Square Mile. It grows in what was the churchyard of St Peter Cheap, a church destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and never rebuilt. No one knows exactly how old it is. By 1853, a cab company was advertising its location as 'Under the tree, Cheapside.' In 1901 it was called the most valuable tree in the world. It survived the Blitz. Buildings beside it are prohibited from rising above two storeys by the terms of their leases, preserving its canopy. Wordsworth likely had it in mind in his 1800 poem Poor Susan.

Access: Free, public square, City of LondonGetting there: 2 min walk from St Paul's tube station

Full story, map and directions for The Cheapside Plane

The Berkeley Square Plane

London Plane (Platanus x acerifolia) · 235 years · Mayfair

In 2008 one of the plane trees in Berkeley Square was valued at 750,000 pounds, briefly making it the most valuable tree in Britain. The square's planes were planted in 1789 by MP Edward Bouverie, who lived at number 13, and are among the oldest in London. The nightingale that sang in Berkeley Square was almost certainly singing from one of these branches. They were among the original 41 Great Trees of London, and the Grade II listed garden they shade has kept its shape while everything around it changed.

Access: Free, public gardenGetting there: 2 min walk from Green Park or Bond Street tube

Full story, map and directions for The Berkeley Square Plane

Queen Elizabeth's OakFallen monument

Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur) · 800+ years · Greenwich

This tree fell during a storm in 1991 after standing since the 12th century. Its hollowed carcass still lies where it fell. Henry VIII was born in Greenwich Palace and is said to have danced around this oak with Anne Boleyn while courting. Their daughter Elizabeth I, also born here, reportedly picnicked under its canopy, giving the tree her name. The hollow trunk was allegedly used as a lock-up for troublemakers. It is no longer alive, but its remains are worth visiting.

Access: Free, open parkland, Greenwich ParkGetting there: Cutty Sark DLR station, 15 min walk

Full story, map and directions for Queen Elizabeth's Oak

The Mulberry of Charlton House

Black Mulberry (Morus nigra) · 400 years · Charlton, South East London

Planted around 1608 as part of King James I's ill-fated plan to establish a British silk industry. He ordered mulberry trees planted across England to feed silkworms. The plan failed because he accidentally ordered black mulberries, whose leaves silkworms refuse to eat. This tree, one of the survivors of that royal blunder, is now over 400 years old. It leans and sprawls dramatically, held up by wooden supports, and still produces fruit every summer.

Access: Free, open grounds of Charlton House community centreGetting there: Charlton rail station, 5 min walk

Full story, map and directions for The Mulberry of Charlton House

The Fulham Palace Oak

Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur) · 500+ years · Fulham

This oak is five centuries old partly because people kept cutting it back. It was coppiced long ago, harvested down to its base, a practice that paradoxically resets a tree's clock and can extend its life by centuries. It grows in the grounds of Fulham Palace, the former home of the Bishop of London. Bishop Grindal, who lived here in the 16th century, is credited with introducing the tamarisk to England and growing grapes sent to Queen Elizabeth I. The oak was among the original 41 trees awarded Great Tree status in 1988.

Access: Free, Fulham Palace Gardens open dailyGetting there: Putney Bridge tube, 10 min walk

Full story, map and directions for The Fulham Palace Oak

The Old Lions of Kew

Multiple species including Japanese Pagoda Tree (Styphnolobium japonicum) · 250+ years · Kew, South West London

Five of the oldest trees in Kew Gardens, nicknamed the Old Lions by the garden's first curator John Smith. Among them is a Japanese pagoda tree planted in 1762, making it one of the oldest in Europe outside its native range. Kew's collection includes trees that have been growing here since the garden opened under Princess Augusta in the 1750s. Entry to Kew required but worth it.

Access: Paid entry to Kew GardensGetting there: Kew Gardens tube station (District Line), 5 min walk

Full story, map and directions for The Old Lions of Kew

The Evelyn Mulberry

Black Mulberry (Morus nigra) · 300+ years · Deptford, East London

Sayes Court Garden was the celebrated 17th century garden of writer and diarist John Evelyn, one of the most famous gardens in England. The garden was destroyed when Tsar Peter the Great of Russia rented the house in 1698 and reportedly used a wheelbarrow to race through the hedges for amusement. This mulberry may have survived even that. A stone at its base commemorates the story. Most of the garden is gone, but this tree, fenced and propped, still stands in what is now an unremarkable public park.

Access: Free, public parkGetting there: Deptford or Deptford Bridge station, 5 min walk

Full story, map and directions for The Evelyn Mulberry

Barney the Plane

London Plane (Platanus x acerifolia) · 300+ years · Barnes, South West London

The biggest London plane in London is a tree most Londoners have never heard of. Nicknamed Barney, it is over 300 years old, potentially the oldest of its kind in the city, and massive in every dimension. The London plane is the capital's signature tree, chosen for its resilience to soot and its tolerance of brutal pruning, and Barney is the patriarch of them all. It grows at Barn Elms in the riverside suburb of Barnes. One honest caveat: the exact spot is still being verified, which is why this tree sits at the bottom of the list until its pin can be trusted.

Access: Public access, Barnes areaGetting there: Barnes station or bus

Full story, map and directions for Barney the Plane

Going there? Download all 10 trees as a map file and open it in Google Maps, Organic Maps or any hiking app. Works offline, no app needed.

Frequently asked

What is the oldest tree in London?: The Totteridge Yew in St Andrew's churchyard, Totteridge, estimated at between 1,000 and 2,000 years old. Even the cautious low estimate makes it older than any building in the city.
Are London's ancient trees free to visit?: Nine of the ten trees on this list are free: they stand in public parks, churchyards and squares. The exception is the Old Lions of Kew, which need a Kew Gardens ticket.
Why does London have so many ancient trees?: Royal hunting parks. Kings walled off Richmond and Greenwich centuries ago, and the oaks inside were spared the clearing that transformed the surrounding countryside.
What is a London plane?: A hybrid plane tree that thrives on soot and hard pruning. London planted it everywhere from the 1700s on, and the tree took the city's name with it.
More on the oldest tree: What is the oldest tree in London? The full answer, with map and directions.
More like this: Several of these trees also appear in Europe's 10 Most Remarkable Ancient Trees.
More cities: Ancient trees in Amsterdam · Ancient trees in Lisbon · Ancient trees in Paris

Know a tree that belongs on this list? Tell us: hello@ancienttrees.app. Suggestions feed curation; the list itself stays editorial.