page_title: Gilwell Oak
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Gilwell Oak / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Robert Baden Powell sketch depicting the "Moral of the acorn and the oak"
context_page_description: The Gilwell Oak is an oak tree on the grounds of The Scout Association's headquarters at Gilwell Park, Essex. It is reputed to have been used as a hiding place by Dick Turpin and since the 20th century has become closely associated with the Scout movement. The tree is situated close to the training ground for the association's first Scout leaders and provided material for the earliest Wood Badges. The oak inspired Scout movement founder Robert Baden-Powell to create "the moral of the acorn and the oak" an analogy for the growth of the Scout movement and the personal growth of its members. The Gilwell Oak was voted England's Tree of the Year by the public in 2017 and was subsequently selected by a panel of experts as the UK Tree of the Year.
context_section_description: The Gilwell Oak is a Common or English Oak (Quercus robur) of approximately 450–550 years of age.  It is in Gilwell Park, a former country estate in Epping Forest that was purchased by The Scout Association in 1919 for use as their headquarters.  The tree is reputed to have been used by the 18th-century highwayman Dick Turpin to ambush passing stagecoaches.
caption: Baden-Powell's sketch of his acorn and oak analogy, inspired by the Gilwell Oak
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