Wimpole Hall, the National Trust and the Oak Leaf

 The National Trust chose the oak leaf as its symbol in 1932 - they ran a competition to find a design but as nothing was suitable they asked six designers to submit designs based on either an English lion, the rose, or the oak to represent English heritage.  The winning design was by artist Joseph Armitage (1880-1945).   Wimpole Estate has some fine oak trees including a narrow-leaved one near the Folly with an impressive spread.
The Church at Wimpole (not part of the NT property) has a long building history including refurbishment in the 19th Century in Gothic style, which incorporates many carvings of Oak leaves and Acorns along with other symbols of the church. The oak tree has been held in high esteem throughout history including the Greeks and Romans. The Druids frequently worshipped in oak groves (the word Druid was probably a Gaelic derivation of their word for oak, Duir, and meant men of the oaks). The spiritual appreciation of oak did not cease with the advent of Christianity and the Oak/Acorn symbol is commonly used.