This beautiful tree in Brighstone has been shortlisted by the Woodland Trust for 2019’s Tree of the Year Award.
Each year the Woodland Trust highlight and celebrate some of the best trees in the country through the competition. The shortlist is compiled by a carefully chosen panel of judges who get together to debate the positives of hundreds of trees to find the very best England has to offer.
Vote today
You can vote for your favourite tree via the Woodland Trust Website. It closes to vote on 27th September, so you have time to share this with friends and family and perhaps the Isle of Wight will take the top prize.
The entry details read:
Dragon Tree, Brighstone, Isle of Wight
With its huge snaking boughs, the Dragon Tree of Brighstone is a sight to behold. One massive limb forms a bridge over the Buddle Brook below, which used to power the nearby Brighstone mill until it closed in the 1960s.It’s thought the oak took its unique shape after it was blown down in a storm, but, still supported by its existing branches, managed to re-root.
Local legend, however, holds that the tree was once a dragon that terrorised the locals. A knight fought the beast. When he struck the fatal blow, the dragon turned to wood.
Image: © Woodland Trust
