AN HISTORIC oak tree growing in the ruins of Quarr Abbey's infirmary is in the running for being named 'Tree of the Year.'

The Woodland Trust’s annual competition, backed by TV gardener David Domoney, throws the spotlight on the nation‘s best trees to help drive up interest in their value and protection.

A shortlist of ten trees is now up for the public vote, among them the Quarr Abbey Oak at Ryde.

Founded in 1132, Quarr Abbey housed a group of Cistercian monks until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1536.

The abbey fell to ruin, but through the remains of the infirmary grew an oak tree.

The oak has three trunks, which join together to form a natural archway, mimicking the old infirmary window next to it. The oak has even grown up and around the last remnants of a stone wall, surrounding the masonry and slowly occluding the stones as it grows.

The tree is not only a magnificent oak tree but it is also a marvellous time capsule of social history. A demonstration of how a tree can literally grow on what previous generations have built upon.

A new abbey was built nearby at the beginning of the 20th century, and is still a working monastery of the Benedictine order.

To vote, go online to www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/treeoftheyear . Voting ends on 7 October.