Glasgow's Argyle Street ash wins UK Tree of the Year 2025
Senior PR officer
Standing tall on one of Glasgow’s busiest roads, the winner of the Woodland Trust’s annual Tree of the Year competition is a mature, bright green ash, which tops a shortlist of 10 remarkable trees chosen for being ‘rooted in culture’.
Much loved by its local community, the tree is described by James Cowan in his book, From Glasgow’s Treasure Chest, as “quite the most graceful ash I have seen” – a quote that hangs framed in the pub opposite the tree, where Gaelic live music thrives.
The Argyle Street ash narrowly beat the King of Limbs oak that inspired a Radiohead album, and the Lonely Tree, which sits on the edge of the Llyn Padarn lake in North Wales against a spectacular landscape popular with photographers.
The ancient Lady Jane Grey oak in Leicester’s Bradgate Park, and a majestic cedar with low-sweeping boughs where The Beatles were photographed at London’s Chiswick House, complete the top five.
The 2025 competition theme, ‘rooted in culture’, celebrates how trees shape our cultural landscape, featuring in literature, music, poetry and art for millennia.
Adam Cormack, head of campaigning at the Woodland Trust, said:
“Trees really matter to people and this is clear from the response we’ve seen to the Argyle Street ash. Trees inspire us to write stories and create art, whilst connecting us to cultural legacies and a sense of place. We encourage people to notice and enjoy the trees around them, and learn more about how they benefit us – from boosting biodiversity and wellbeing to mitigating the effects of climate change.”
Thought to be around 175 years old, standing 75 feet tall, the Argyle Street ash has survived Victorian industry, the Clydeside Blitz, redevelopment and ash dieback. It counts politicians and musicians amongst its more recent admirers, with Paul Sweeney MSP and Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian both backing the ash for UK Tree of the Year 2025.
Its victory sets a trend following last year’s winner, the Skipinnish Oak, which was also a public nomination in Scotland – though the retiring champion is found deep in planted conifer forest, rather than the heart of the city.
Laura Chow, head of charities at People's Postcode Lottery, said:
"We're delighted our players are supporting this year's Tree of the Year competition. These trees, rooted in culture, show how valued they are by their communities, and the significant importance they have in our wider cultural history. And what a worthy winner the Argyle Street ash is!"
The Argyle Street ash was nominated by arborist David Treanor, who has been managing it in recent years. The tree has been protected by a Tree Preservation Order – thought to be one of the first in Glasgow – and is clearly much loved.
The top five trees from this year’s competition were:
- Argyle Street ash, Glasgow
- King of Limbs, Savernake Forest, Wiltshire
- Lonely Tree, Llyn Padarn, Llanberis
- The Lady Jane Grey oak, Bradgate Park, Leicester
- The Beatles' cedar tree, Chiswick House and Gardens, London.
The winner of the Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year competition will go on to represent the UK in European Tree of the Year in early 2026.
Notes to editors
For enquiries please contact Rosa at media@woodlandtrust.org.uk or at 0330 333 5313.
About the Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK with more than 500,000 supporters. With a vision of a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature, today the Trust owns and cares for more than 1,000 woodland sites, covering around 33,000 hectares.
The Woodland Trust has three key aims:
- protecting the UK's rare, unique and irreplaceable ancient woodland
- restoring damaged ancient woodland, nurturing precious pieces of our natural heritage back to life
- establishing new native trees and woods to create healthy, resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.
Access to all Woodland Trust woods is free so everyone can experience the physical and mental benefits of trees.