Argyle Street Ash Tree

If one should find themselves in the district of Finnieston, an up and coming, (if not trendy) area of Glasgow, they may come upon a rather unique and solitary street feature. Situated along Argyle Street, in front of a row of tenement flats, stands a rather impressive European Ash tree, ( Fraxinus exsilsior ). It’s not just its size that is outstanding, measuring just over 82 feet, (25 meters) , but it is the fact that this arbor specimen is the only tree in the vicinity. It is perhaps this particular piece of information that has warranted it being selected as an entry for the Woodland’s Trust “UK ’s Tree of the Year” for 2025.

The Woodland Trust was founded in early part of the 1970’s and operates as a conservation charity. Each year a select few members are selected to form a list of trees located throughout the British Isles that illicit worthiness and esteem. This list is submitted to the general public to vote on as the UK’s “Tree of the Year”. This campaign is one of the way this organization engages with the public, a fun way to get individuals interested in flora and fauna. The Argyle Ash won this prestiges honor in 2025 and now has been chosen to represent Britain as a contender for Europe’s “Tree of the Year” 2026.  Unfortunately, the Ash did not win, it came in 12th place.

The origin story of this particular Ash tree reads like something from a Brothers Grimm faerie tale. Sometime in the mid-1800’s , a young family returned from a trip abroad. They brought back with them what they thought were primrose roots. Unbeknownst to them, a stowaway was hidden among the cuttings. Due to the height of the adjacent tenement building and its positioning, this allowed for ideal conditions for this “hitchhiker” to grow and prosper. This row of flats provided not only warmth but shelter from high winds.

It is for this reason that this magnificent sapling survived adverse weather conditions, it has also managed to escape an infestation of the dreaded ash dieback fungus. In addition, it survived German bombings from World War II, not to mention redevelopments. In 1980, the city government provided the Ash with a protective order, the first tree to be given such a distinction. On a side note, there is a related matter involving a cat and the locale fire brigade. It would take two full days before this unfortunate feline could finally be rescued.