If the average girth of a chestnut is 1 inch, then the largest horse chestnut tree in the UK is 288 times the size of the nut it came from.
A 300-year-old horse chestnut tree on the grounds of the country estate where 19th century prime minister Benjamin Disraeli lived was, at 24 feet around, recently crowned the largest in the country on the National Tree Register.
The tree reached such a colossal size because it had been allowed to grow unhindered, was planted in good soil and, because it was on a flood plain, benefitted from many nutrients, a National Trust ranger told The Guardian.
The Trust takes care of more than 30,000 notable trees. These include the 2,500-year-old Ankerwycke Yew and the 1,000-year-old Old Man of Calke.
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