Discover the hidden history of ancient woods and trees

Ancient woods and big old trees could tell so many stories if only they could talk.

The biggest, fattest, gnarliest trees in the UK have stood for many hundreds of years. They have seen famous battles, hidden kings from their enemies and watched as times change.

Even old trees in your neighbourhood have tales to tell. They have seen generations of families and watched people leave and new people move in. They've seen the many different ways people have dressed through the ages, from the big flouncy dresses of Victorian ladies to the shell suits of the 1980's!

While you can't ask trees exactly what they have seen, you can do a little digging in history, ask relatives and even use your imagination to tell their tales for them.

Below are some ideas to help you uncover the stories of ancient trees and woods.

We'd love to read about what you discover or make up so please share your stories with us.

Getting started

Find your tree

The first thing to do is find your ancient woods and trees. You can find them by looking at the ancient woods and trees layers on our UK map of woods. To turn layers on, select this icon on the map:

Give a tree a hug

Find out how old the ancient trees in your wood are by giving them a hug. Download this free guide to measuring trees to help you. Some ancient woodlands will have been replanted so the wood could be even older than the trees there now!

Fact finding

Search local history

You can find out how long your local wood has been around for and what it might have witnessed in its lifetime by doing an internet search for the local history of your town. Most towns and cities will have historical information online. Local History Online is a good place to start.

Your local library will also be able to help with your search.

Ask relatives and neighbours
Ask your grandparents or older relatives about how things have changed during their lifetime. Try asking them how much bigger and fatter the tree is now.

Download this free guide on ancient tree memories to help you get the information you need.

Writing your story

Now you've got all your information you write your story. You don't need to stick to the facts, why not got wild with your imagination and make it even more interesting? Try imagining characters through the ages of the wood's life, from soldiers who may have fought in famous battles there to Victorian children who played in the trees. Imagine their names, what they looked like, how they dressed. And of course don't forget to mention how they used the tree.

Once you've written your story, tell it to friends and family who also live near the wood. They'll be fascinated to hear it's history, even the made up bits! And please share it with us too by finding the wood and adding it to the blog.