Somerset Tree shortlisted for 'Tree of The Year'

A Somerset tree that has seen countless generations of children grow up alongside it, is among a dozen "magnificent oaks" chosen for the shortlist for this year's Tree of the Year contest.

King John Oak stands in the grounds of Hazlegrove Prep School in Sparkford, and was already 500 years old when the school was founded, in 1519.

The UK's widest oak, a tree sporting ancient graffiti in it's hollow trunk, and one which is shaped like an elephant are among 11 selected for the theme by a panel of tree experts - along with one nominated by members of the public via social media.

The winning tree in the poll, which is open until October 21, will go forward to compete in the European Tree of the Year contest early next year.

The 11 other oaks shortlisted for the vote are:

• Marton Oak, Cheshire, a 1,200-year-old sessile oak tree with a huge 14.02 metre girth, making it the UK's widest recorded oak, which stands in a private garden on "Oak Lane" and has a totally hollow trunk.

• Bowthorpe Oak, Lincolnshire, which is thought to be around a thousand years old and is the second widest tree on the shortlist. It is also hollow, with ancient graffiti inside, and it is claimed three dozen people once stood in it.

• Gregynog Oak, which stands among several mammoth trees in wildlife-rich Great Wood in the grounds of Gregynog Hall in Powys, could have been admired by the likes of Gustav Holst and George Bernard Shaw, who are known to have visited the property

• Queen Elizabeth Oak, West Sussex, which is the second largest sessile oak on record, after the Marton oak, and is one of a few ancient oaks associated with Elizabeth I, who is believed to have been positioned by the tree on a hunting excursion in 1591.

• Skipinnish oak, Lochaber, which is named after a ceilidh band, is a large, single-stemmed oak that is surrounded by Sitka spruce monoculture, but still supports a huge ecosystem in its canopy, including temperate rainforest bryophytes and lichens on its bark.

• The Michael, Midlothian, which is a hybrid of the the UK's two native oaks, sessile and pendunculate. Its name is probably a corruption of the Scots word "meikle", meaning big, though some believe it was named after The Michael, the largest sailing ship afloat in the 16th century.

• Tea Party Oak, Suffolk, stands in the National Trust's Ickworth Estate, but significantly predates the 18th century palace there, and is significant for locals and wildlife including bats. It is named after tea parties held under it for village children in the 19th century.

• Darwin Oak, Shrewsbury, which is estimated to be 550 years old and grows very close to The Mount, the childhood home of Charles Darwin. Darwin's Oak, as it is known locally, and eight other ancient trees are at risk of being felled to make way for the Shrewsbury bypass.

• Capon Tree, Scottish Borders, which is one of the last surviving trees of the ancient Jedforest woodland. Its sprawling form may have saved it from felling for shipbuilding, and for 75 years it has played a key role in the annual Jethart Callant festival, with a sprig being used to decorate the leading man or Callant.

• Castle Archdale Oak, Co Fermanagh, has a vast trunk split into two stems, and was likely to have been standing throughout the building, capture, burning and abandonment of nearby, now-ruined, Castle Archdale in the 17th century.

• The "Elephant Oak", Old Sloden Inclosure, Sussex, is the wildcard nomination from the public, nominated by Claire Sheppard, who said: "It's a pollard oak known as the 'Elephant Oak' due to its massive trunk!