What do you think?
Rate this book
A Portrait of the Tree: A celebration of favourite trees from around Britain
A stunning collection of portraits of favourite trees from around Britain by photographer Adrian Houston.
---
'This is a wonderful beautiful and important' - Joanna Lumley
'A must-read for all conservationists, environmentalists and nature lovers' - Sir Richard Branson
'Adrian's stunning photographs capture the majesty of these iconic trees.' - Geraint Richards, Chair of Action Oak
---
A Portrait of the Tree is a repository of memories, and a testament to the British landscape. Trees are revealed as religious signifiers, historical landmarks, national emblems.
Sparked by a simple 'What is your favourite tree?', photographer Adrian Houston discovered a wealth of fascinating stories enmeshed with these giants of the natural world - some of miraculous survival, others of sheltering royalty, or witnessing history, or simply of personal grief and renewal. Adrian photographed each nominated tree looking utterly spotlit by night, bathed in morning sunshine, wreathed in delicate mist or blazing with autumn colour.
From the cedars of Highclere Castle to the plane trees of London, ancient pine woods of the Scottish Highlands to veteran oaks that have stood witness to time; from native stalwarts such as the monumental beech to endangered giant redwoods. This stunning celebration bears witness to the might and majesty of the lungs of the earth - the tree.
Joanna Lumley, Tony Kirkham, Dr George McGavin, Antony Gormley, Jasper Conran, Alice Temperley, Alan Titchmarsh, Sir Richard Carew Pole, the Reverend Lucy Winkett
---
'This is a wonderful beautiful and important' - Joanna Lumley
'A must-read for all conservationists, environmentalists and nature lovers' - Sir Richard Branson
'Adrian's stunning photographs capture the majesty of these iconic trees.' - Geraint Richards, Chair of Action Oak
---
A Portrait of the Tree is a repository of memories, and a testament to the British landscape. Trees are revealed as religious signifiers, historical landmarks, national emblems.
Sparked by a simple 'What is your favourite tree?', photographer Adrian Houston discovered a wealth of fascinating stories enmeshed with these giants of the natural world - some of miraculous survival, others of sheltering royalty, or witnessing history, or simply of personal grief and renewal. Adrian photographed each nominated tree looking utterly spotlit by night, bathed in morning sunshine, wreathed in delicate mist or blazing with autumn colour.
From the cedars of Highclere Castle to the plane trees of London, ancient pine woods of the Scottish Highlands to veteran oaks that have stood witness to time; from native stalwarts such as the monumental beech to endangered giant redwoods. This stunning celebration bears witness to the might and majesty of the lungs of the earth - the tree.
Joanna Lumley, Tony Kirkham, Dr George McGavin, Antony Gormley, Jasper Conran, Alice Temperley, Alan Titchmarsh, Sir Richard Carew Pole, the Reverend Lucy Winkett
304 pages, Hardcover
Published August 30, 2022
1 person is currently reading
5 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 8, 2025
Library book 📚
3.5, rounded up.
This is a stunning book which I'm glad I reserved and read. The photos throughout are beautiful, with some stunning trees featured. The information written alongside the photos is also fascinating, and I feel like I learnt quite a lot reading this.
My only niggles are that the same type of tree is repeated over and over, when I was hoping all the different tree species would be explored. And I wasn't a fan of most of the contributors (who said what their favourite tree was) were people who owned private estates etc. Why not just ask normal people?
Despite these niggles, I did enjoy this book and got through it much more quickly than I imagined I would.
3.5, rounded up.
This is a stunning book which I'm glad I reserved and read. The photos throughout are beautiful, with some stunning trees featured. The information written alongside the photos is also fascinating, and I feel like I learnt quite a lot reading this.
My only niggles are that the same type of tree is repeated over and over, when I was hoping all the different tree species would be explored. And I wasn't a fan of most of the contributors (who said what their favourite tree was) were people who owned private estates etc. Why not just ask normal people?
Despite these niggles, I did enjoy this book and got through it much more quickly than I imagined I would.
Displaying 1 of 1 review