'Bendy tree' named UK Tree of the Year

As a native elm tree, it also resisted Dutch Elm disease, which destroyed most of the 30 million elms around the UK in the 1960s.

Martin said it had shown "remarkable resilience" to live as long as it has and added that it was "great" to see a tree of this age acknowledged.

The Ancient Tree inventory lead at the Woodland Trust, May Chemais, said it was an "astonishing and bizarre" tree that had endured a lot.

"The Bendy Tree has been blasted by extreme winds, over and over again, for well over a century.

"But it has continued to exist and remain rooted, adapting to its surroundings and flourishing into this unusual shape that is providing shade and joy to its community.

"We've all been through changes and hardships that have shaped who we are - I think that's why the Bendy Tree has struck a chord with people."

She added that older trees like the Bendy Tree are part of a community's culture, providing shade and stories.