London may have garnered a reputation as a bit of a concrete jungle, but it’s actually one of the greenest cities in Europe, with more public parks than any other city. And when there are many parks, there are certainly plenty of trees – around 8.4 million of them, to be more precise.
While we always need more new trees planted, it’d be remiss of us not to celebrate the golden oldies; the trees that have stood the test of time and stood in London for centuries. Which is the oldest, you ask? That would reportedly be The Totteridge Yew, which, after 24 years of research, was estimated to be between 1,000 to 2,000 years old, meaning it would have tustled with all the Tudor Monarchs, smelled the smoke of the Great Fire Of London, and embraced fresh invention from the Grandfather Clock to TikTok.
The Totterridge Yew
North London is a place to make history. Islington has the home of the football team that went a whole season unbeaten, and Barnet has the village of Toterridge, where the famous Yew stands proud (if a little weathered; but wouldn’t we all if we’d been on our feet for 1,000 years?).
You’ll find The Totteridge Yew in the churchyard of St Andrew’s, which you can get to by hopping on the Northern Line to (almost) the very end and catching the 251 bus to the tree. Having been around longer than the church it sits by, it was said to once be an important meeting point for “hundred courts”.
In 2008, the Conservation Foundation, the Ancient Yew Group, and tree officers from Barnet joined forces to determine that the tree was possibly the oldest in the entire city, and, according to a blog post in Exploring London, had its first recorded mention in 1677. This was when Sir John Cullum, a Clergyman and antiquary, measured its girth—a hefty 25ft, if you were wondering—and noted it in his surviving diaries.
The village of Totteridge also happens to have been the home of one Arsène Wenger, the man behind the helm of the aforementioned Invincibles run – is it a stretch to suggest the durability of the tree was passed on to his squad? Food for thought anyway, tree lovers.
It may be old; it may be hollowed out, but it’s still considered to be in good condition. Here’s to another 1,000 years!
Find the Totteridge Yew by St Andrews Church 44 Totteridge Village, N20 8PR. PLEASE NOTE: the tree is said to be toxic, so it’s advised that visitors do not touch the leaves or the bark.