The Powys trees as storied as the historic Sycamore Gap

Of course the tree, which appeared in the Kevin Costner hit movie 'Robin Hood Prince of Thieves' was far from the oldest tree in the country.

Powys is home to some of the oldest trees in Britain - and some that are similarly historic and culturally important to the tree that was lost in northern England this week.

The Defynnog Yew

A Powys village is believed to be home to Europe's oldest tree.

The Defynnog yew. Picture: Geograph.

Experts say the ancient yew tree in the village of Defynnog, near Sennybridge, could be more than 5,000 years old.

Experts completed DNA and ring dating tests on the 60-foot wide tree in the churchyard of St Cynog's in the village in 2014.

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With a girth of around 10 metres, the Defynnog Yew tree is nearly as wide as it is tall and inspired the local village pub’s name.

The Buttington Yew

The Buttington yew. Picture: Geograph.

One of Britain's oldest yew trees is an 1,100-year-old tree that was planted at Buttington to commemorate a victory over the Vikings in 893.

It was among the Powys trees recognised as part of the Queen's Green Canopy project for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. 

The Llangynog Churchard Yew is also well known

Historically yew trees have been bestowed with sacred power across a variety of religions and belief systems. This is in part due to their toxicity to humans and their extremely long lives.

The Llangynog Churchyard yew. Picture: Geograph.

Powys is also home to the largest oak in Wales which can be found in a private field near Welshpool.

In 1997 it was taped between burrs by the late Hatton Gardner and 11.75m wide.

The Grand Fir, Leighton

Grand Fir in Park Wood on the Leighton Hall estate, Welshpool is home to some of Wales' tallest trees.

The tallest of rather scattered survivors from an 1888 plantation on a rather exposed, west-facing hillside; it had quite a long reign as Britain's tallest known tree in the 1970s and 80s and around 61 metres in height.

A European Pear tree in an orchard in Llangattock is also among the oldest in Wales having germinated in 1754.

Newtown's Black Poplar

Newtown's Black Poplar. Picture: Geograph.

Newtown is home to one of the largest wild black poplar ever recorded and among only around 7,000 remaining in the UK.

The black poplar is one of Britain’s rarest and most endangered native species in uncultivated environments.

The Brimmon Oak

The Brimmon Oak. Picture by Penny Mayes/Geograph.

The Brimmon Oak is a veteran tree in Newtown is thought to be around 500 years old and has been on land farmed by the same family since the 1600s.

The tree was scheduled to be felled as part of the construction of the A483 Newtown Bypass in 2015 but was saved as the result of a petition.

The tree was named both Welsh and British Tree of the Year for 2016 and was runner up in the European Tree of the Year awards of 2017.