A yew tree believed to be up to 4,000 years old and famous for surviving a cannonball strike during the English Civil War is among the finalists for this year’s Tree of the Year award. The Crowhurst Yew, located in the churchyard of St George’s Church in Surrey, is estimated to be at least 1,250 years old, with some experts suggesting it could date back as far as the Bronze Age. The tree’s hollow trunk, measuring approximately 33 feet in girth, contains a wooden door, and visible scars mark its historic encounter with the cannonball, which villagers discovered centuries later in 1820.

The Crowhurst Yew is one of ten trees shortlisted for the Woodland Trust’s annual contest recognising rare, ancient, and endangered British trees that have demonstrated remarkable resilience. This year’s competition theme, “against all odds,” highlights trees that have withstood significant challenges and damage, including wartime attacks and natural disasters.

Other notable finalists include Rutland’s Bomber Oak, which survived impact from a Lancaster bomber during the Second World War, and a downy birch growing precariously on a cliff in Bollhope Burn, County Durham. Additional contenders feature a 200-year-old yew perched atop a church tower in Culmstock, Devon, an oak that endured a lightning strike, and Brighton’s 400-year-old Preston Twin, believed to be the oldest English elm in the world.

Two public wildcard entries round out the shortlist. Among them is a 150-year-old ash tree at Balloch Castle, Loch Lomond, which has withstood lightning strikes, severe storms, the spread of ash dieback disease, and even an Oasis concert. The other is the Donnington Oak in Berkshire, which also endured bombardment during the English Civil War.

David Oakes, actor and nature podcaster serving as an ambassador for the Woodland Trust, commented on the competition’s focus, noting that unlike animals, trees cannot flee threats but have evolved to survive through endurance and adaptability. “The 10 nominees for Tree of the Year have all defied the odds in extraordinary ways, from clinging to cliffs and church towers, to enduring collisions and cannonballs,” Oakes said.

Public voting for the Tree of the Year opened recently and will close in late September. The winner will be announced in early October and will go on to represent the United Kingdom in the European Tree of the Year competition.