Royal Oak - Current Situation

Current Situation

The site of the tree is adjacent to Boscobel House, but is not owned by English Heritage, as the house is: the surrounding land is owned and farmed by Francis Yates Partners, who allow the public access along a path from the garden of the house. The tree standing on the site today is not the original Royal Oak, which is recorded to have been destroyed during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by tourists who cut off branches and chunks as souvenirs. The present day tree is believed to be a two or three hundred-year old descendant of the original and is thus known as 'Son of Royal Oak'.

In 2000, Son of Royal Oak was badly injured during a violent storm and lost many branches. In September 2010, it was found to have developed large and dangerous cracks. The 2011 season opened with the tree surrounded by a wooden outer perimeter fence to ensure the safety of visitors.

A number of other trees have been ceremonially planted nearby as daughters or descendants of the Royal Oak. In 1897, a tree was planted on the western edge of the garden of Boscobel House by Augustus Legge, then bishop of Lichfield, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. A daughter tree was planted ceremonially in 1951 near the site of the original Royal Oak by the Orlando Bridgeman, 5th Earl of Bradford, who was the owner of Boscobel House at the time, to mark the tercentenary of Charles II's escape. Another oak sapling was planted in 2001 by Prince Charles; it was grown from one of the Son's acorns and is thus a grandson of the Royal Oak. Saplings, certified as grown from the tree's acorns are actually available from the English Heritage shop at Boscobel House.

In commemoration of the tree's significance in British history, a number of places and things have been named after the Royal Oak: see Royal Oak (disambiguation). The Royal Oak is the third most common pub name in Britain.