The Radley Oak

The Radley Oak stands in the grounds of Radley College adjacent to the public footpath leading up to Lodge Hill. With a girth of 28 feet (8.5 metres) it is certainly more than 300 years old, though, since the bole is hollow, its true age cannot be determined with any certainty.

However the tree is undoubtedly in decline, as a photograph taken by Henry Taunt about 100 years ago clearly shows.

The soil in the area of north Radley is particularly suited to the growth of hardwood trees such as oak and hazel. The production of oak timber (for construction and furniture), oak bark (for leather tanning) and coppiced hazel (for fuel) from Bagley Wood, once the largest woodland area in North Berkshire, were major industries in the area until the 19th century.