{"id":495987,"date":"2026-06-26T04:23:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T04:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/495987\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T04:23:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T04:23:20","slug":"instant-connection-to-the-past-how-the-major-oak-affected-those-who-saw-it-trees-and-forests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/495987\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Instant connection to the past\u2019: how the Major oak affected those who saw it | Trees and forests"},"content":{"rendered":"

After hundreds of years inspiring wonder in Sherwood Forest, the Major oak has died<\/a>. We asked readers to share their memories of one of the UK\u2019s most recognisable natural landmarks, said to have offered a sanctuary for Robin Hood, and the response was overwhelming, with many sharing heartfelt stories of childhood adventures.<\/p>\n

Joanna de Graaf from Leicestershire wrote: \u201cI grew up in Nottingham and we visited Sherwood Forest quite often as a family. I can remember being so excited to actually be inside the Major oak where Robin Hood and his merry men had hidden (and, for a little girl in the 1960s, Maid Marian too).<\/p>\n

\u201cI have visited it with my own children and taken friends visiting from around the world to see it. The legend of Robin Hood is so well known. And they all loved to visit the forest but especially the Major oak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosie Emery, who spent her early childhood at Thoresby Hall, just a short distance from Sherwood Forest, wrote: \u201cI loved it there. I credit my career teaching children how all of life is connected to the hours I spent sitting inside that wonderful tree. I would dream about Robin Hood and Maid Marian.\u201d<\/p>\n

People relax in front of the Major oak in Sherwood Forest. Photograph: Adam Vaughan\/EPA<\/p>\n

Ian, who did not give his surname, recounted a similar experience. \u201cOne of my fondest memories as a child was a school visit to see the Major oak,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAt that time we were allowed to actually stand inside the tree and I recall being totally amazed by the fact (at least in my infant school mind) that I was looking at exactly the same shapes and curls and knots in the wood that Robin Hood saw when he was hiding from the Sheriff of Nottingham.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am surprised just how sad I felt \u2026 when learning of the death of one of England\u2019s greatest natural treasures \u2026 Dead or not it still stands and, in my mind at least, it stands for a great deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jens Binder, an associate professor at Nottingham Trent University, wrote: \u201cOver the years, we\u2019ve taken friends from Spain, Germany, Portugal, Hong Kong, El Salvador, India, probably more, to the place \u2013 no matter the weather or the season. Everyone could instantly feel the significance of this magnificent tree.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, it has always been an instant connection with the past, down the centuries. I take comfort in the thought that Sherwood Forest is still home to more extraordinary oak trees, most of them hidden more safely away in the greenwood.\u201d<\/p>\n

An image of the Major oak captured circa 1900. Photograph: Heritage Images\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Others felt more needed to be done to protect the country\u2019s woodlands. \u201cVery sad to hear about the death of this iconic tree, so much a part of Nottinghamshire<\/a> history and legend,\u201d wrote Guy Birkin. As the chair of Annesley Archers club, he spent many years getting to know the local trees of Nottingham. \u201cThe Major oak was protected by being well-known, but many other trees that are nearly as old aren\u2019t so lucky.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWith evidence that trees support adaptation to increasing temperatures, especially in urban areas, and that being in woodland promotes mental and physical wellbeing, we should take greater care of our arboricultural heritage for the sake of our own and future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tree, which sparked creativity and curiosity for generations, is destined to live on in people\u2019s affections.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have loved this tree since I was a child,\u201d wrote Pat Hutton from Stroud in Gloucestershire. \u201cVisiting Granpop, who lived in Worksop, from our home in Cleethorpes, we would always find time to go to Sherwood Forest and visit the Major oak. My imagination in full flow, I could see Robin Hood and his merry men hiding there \u2026 Sadly, I haven\u2019t seen it for many years, but it lived in my memory, and will live on there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After hundreds of years inspiring wonder in Sherwood Forest, the Major oak has died. We asked readers to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":495988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[273,111,139,69,147],"class_list":["post-495987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}