Measures in place to protect historic oak tree
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- South Kesteven District Council installed wooden fencing around an oak tree in Manthorpe, near Grantham, thought to date back to Sir Isaac Newton's time, after it suffered significant soil compaction from children using ropes tied to its branches as swings.
- Councillor Rhys Baker, cabinet member for environment, called the tree one of the area's most notable and confirmed it is recorded on the Woodland Trust's Ancient Tree Inventory.
- Dr. Kate Lewthwaite of the Woodland Trust said historic 1800s maps of Grantham place the tree at least 200 years old and "probably 300," and that fencing it off makes it more likely to grow to "a great age."
- The Woodland Trust noted native oaks support up to 2,300 different species, with 326 fully dependent on oak for survival, framing the protection as a win for "both people and nature."
- Sir Isaac Newton was born at nearby Woolsthorpe Manor in 1642 and reportedly observed a falling apple in the garden that inspired his theory of gravity, described in his 1687 book Principia.
Why it matters: The council's fencing is a direct response to verified physical damage — soil compaction from ropes and foot traffic — at a tree documented on the Ancient Tree Inventory and estimated by the Woodland Trust to be 200–300 years old. Protecting that single specimen preserves documented habitat for 326 species fully dependent on oak, per the Trust.
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