I took these photographs of the Major Oak of Sherwood Forest, Nottingham, with an old pop in a roll of film camera back in the Easter of 1992. I thought this might be an interesting supplement to my previous post about the English Oak.
Although the age of the tree is not accurate to estimate, but it is believed to be between 800 to 1,000 years old, hence the added supports from preventing the huge limbs of the oak from breaking off under their own weight and during stormy weather. It is a giant tree by all standards. It is estimated to weigh 23 tons, has a girth of 10 metres, and a height of 16 metres. It has a canopy spread of 28 metres. Its odd shape and giant size has led to specualtion that this may be several trees fused together when they were saplings.
Legend has it that Robin Hood hid inside the hollow of the Major Oak whilst being persued by his enemies.
I wonder how much truth there is in the Robin Hood tales. When we were kids we played Robin Hood every dat
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Thank you for your comment. We may never know the truth whether Robin Hood was real or not. English legal records suggest that, as early as the 13th century, “Robehod,” “Rabunhod” and other variations had become common epithets for criminals.The first literary references to Robin Hood appear in a series of 14th- and 15th-century ballads about a violent yeoman who lived in Sherwood Forest with his men and frequently clashed with the Sheriff of Nottingham. These ballads may be based on a real figure, yet it still may just be legend.
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Thanks for the information!
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What a magnificent tree. Just imagine the stories it could tell.
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I like a good story 🙂
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I was there on Friday – surprisingly it’s still standing.
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It certainly has stood the test of time.
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It is an amazing looking tree. I like the legend attached to it as well.
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Thank you 🙂 It’s amazing it is still going even today!
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What a spectacularly ancient looking tree, I just LOVE old trees that have so much life experience in them. The aura they have, it’s like looking at wisdom. So beautiful!
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Thank you for your lovely comment, Laura 🙂 I feel the same way about old trees, and the wisdom they appear to portray. To think that some of these ancient trees have seen localised and world events of such magnitude pass them by, how the land and the populations have changed and evolved as the centuries have rolled on by I think is quite incredible!
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Thank you for the beautiful shot of this tree! I don’t know when I’d ever get there but hey! we all love Robin Hood, fact or fable.
Posted a link to this picture here:
https://thinkinkadia.wordpress.com/2016/12/06/robin-hood/
Hoping it’s ok with you
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Thank you for your interest in this blog, and for the link on your very interesting article!
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Welcome… Enjoyed your wonderful photography!
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