Windsor Forest was huge, but it was named for one small settlement at its eastern end. In Old Windsor (the original Windsor before William the Conqueror built his castle down the road) there was once an important Anglo-Saxon palace. It’s all gone now, apart from whatever hides beneath the ground, but it was once important enough for the whole Forest to be named for it.
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Hidden away in Cranbourne Chase is Offa’s Oak. It’s a strange, gangly old thing.
People who know things about trees say it’s at least 1300 years old, which would make it a sapling during the reign of the Mercian King Offa. But they say it might be as much as 1500 years old. Either estimate makes it the oldest oak in Britain.
#ancienttrees #oak #windsorforest #cranbournechase #offasoak #kingoffa #history #folklore #nature #berkshire #berkshirehistory #trees #woodland