The Argyle Street ash has walked off with this year’s UK Tree of the Year award.
More than 30,000 people voted in the competition organised by the Woodland Trust, with 27% choosing the Argyle Street ash as their favourite. Nominated by a member of the public—David Treanor, the arborist who looks after it—it was the wildcard entry, going head to leaf with the other nine shortlisted trees chosen by a panel of experts.
The “rooted in culture” theme of this year’s competition was chosen to celebrate how trees are woven into the fabric of our lives, and the ash was a perfect fit.
It’s loved by many who have lived nearby or simply passed by—and these days, it even has its own Facebook page.
Writer and historian James Cowan described it in a local newspaper column in the 1930s as “…a very tall ash tree, its highest branches reaching far above the top windows of the tenement…It is quite the most graceful ash I have seen.” The column was later published in Cowan’s book From Glasgow’s Treasure Chest. Acknowledging its cultural importance to the city, it was the first tree in Glasgow to be given a Tree Preservation Order. It survived Victorian industrialisation, the Clydeside Blitz, decades of urban change and development, and is not showing any significant symptoms of ash dieback. Situated on one of Glasgow’s busiest roads, it’s rooted in the city’s history and stands as a local symbol of grace and resilience.
In second place, with 24% of the votes, was the King of Limbs, an ancient oak in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire. Radiohead named one of their albums in honour of the tree, after spending time recording nearby.
The Lonely Tree of Llanberis came third, with 13% of the vote. Relatively small compared to its competitors, the birch is popular with photographers— it stands at the water’s edge of Llyn Padarn, a mirror-like lake in North Wales, with the Snowdonia mountain range in the background. The tree may also feature in the upcoming series of The Witcher.
The full list of shortlisted entries can be seen here.
The winner will represent the UK in the 2026 European Tree of the Year competition.
