Beautiful with age

Native trees hold a special place in the UK’s traditions, myths and ecosystems

It’s dark. The footage is grainy but you can see the silhouette of a tree with a horizon line swooping behind it. At the tree’s foot is a shadow, which unfurls into a man-shape. A chainsaw snarls into

Ships made from English oak were victorious at sea from the Nile to Trafalgar and it was once a ubiquitous building material. Yet today, it’s a rarity, finds Arabella Youens

What the scientists are saying… The oldest ...

The evolution of the mighty oak

There’s a pub in the village of Norton St Philip, Somerset, called The George Inn. It’s a 14th-century coaching tavern, and as you walk through the galleried courtyard it feels like stepping back in t