25. Bexley Charter Oak

A memorable oak under whose umbrageous canopy recent municipal history was made

The London Borough of Bexley has a tiny oak on its coat of arms, it is a representation of the Bexley Charter Oak, a splendid tree in Danson Park. The tree is a 200 year old veteran growing behind a fence on the lawn between the lake and Danson House. It was under the tree’s canopy that the charter was signed to bring the Municipal Borough of Bexley into existence in 1937.

Species details

Pedunculate Oak
Quercus robur

Where to find it

Danson Park, 51 Danson Road, Bexleyheath DA15 9PW
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Pedunculate oak notes

Pedunculate oaks range throughout these islands. Their frequency, their characteristic form, the distinctive shape of their leaves and the solidity of their timber have ensured they have been valued by humans for millennia. They have an ability to survive, often in open situations for a very long time too. So it is little wonder that they have become the de facto national tree of England, not to mention Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Belarus and Romania to name just a few of the many European nations that call the pedunculate oak a symbol of their own solidity and endurance.

Urban Tree Festival 13-21 May

The Urban Tree Festival kicks off on Saturday morning and continues for nine more days finishing on Sunday 21st May. Check out the programme here.

2023 marks the Festival’s sixth year, and since starting as a long weekend of small events in London, it has burgeoned into more than a week of urban tree celebrations everywhere. This year there are events in Birmingham, Leeds, Colchester, Sheffield, Brighton and Plymouth, and in previous years Dublin, Edinburgh, Belfast and Northampton have featured. Perhaps 2024 will see even more towns and cities putting on events across the world.

Throughout the Festival. I’ll be posting a Daily Urban Tree which will reflect some of the places and events that are taking place. A good old oak tree seemed like the kind of tree to start off with, and the Bexley Charter Oak fits the bill both for its role as a landmark where people gathered beneath its boughs, and because it grows in London where the festival started.