The oak tree is the national tree of England, as well as France, Germany and the United States. The typical life-span of the oak is between 200 and 600 years, although some have been known to reach 1000 years of age.

During the civil war, following the Battle of Worcester in 1651, King Charles II hid within the oak tree to escape the Roundheads. However, the tree standing on the site today is not the original tree. The original one is thought to have been destroyed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by tourists who broke off parts of the tree as souvenirs.

The stamp below was issued in February 1973 as part of the Tree Planting, British Trees stamp edition.

Illustration

Oak tree stamp, issued 1973