Sherwood Forest Country Park contains some of the oldest trees in Europe, veteran oaks five centuries old and the world-famous Major Oak, still producing acorns after standing at the heart of Sherwood Forest for at least 800 years! This giant tree, with a waistline of 33 ft, a height of 52 feet and weighing an estimated 23 tons, has been here for about 800-1000 years. The exact age of this magnificent tree can only be estimated.
According to local lore, its hollow trunk was used as a hideout by Robin Hood’s men, though if Robin was – as legend suggests – active in the 12th or 13th century, this tree could only have been a sapling then. So it must have been another, much older oak that hid the outlaw. Large oaks were also frequently depicted as dwelling places for woodland spirits
Its large canopy, the leaves and branches, with a spread of 92 ft point to it being a tree that has grown up with little or no competition from oaks nearby.
The earliest recorded name for this remarkable oak, dating back to the mid 18th century, was the Cockpen Tree. The hollow interior is said to have been used to pen cockerels ready to be used in the now illegal sport of cock fighting. Later it was known as the Queen Oak. In 1790, Major Hayman Rooke, a noted antiquarian from Mansfield Woodhouse, included the tree in his popular book about the ancient oaks of Sherwood. It thus became known as The Major‘s Oak, and later simply The Major Oak.
In 1908, metal straps and chains were installed high up in the canopy to support the weakest branches. Large holes were covered in lead sheeting to prevent rain entering. In the seventies, these measures were replaced by large wooden struts, supporting the heaviest branches. Today, slender steel poles prop the sprawling limbs of this forest giant.
In 1975 when the new Visitor Centre was built by Nottinghamshire Council, a fence was installed around the great tree, preventing further damage from visitors to Sherwood.
