Quercus robur the oak tree at Boscobel House, where the future King Charles II hid from his Parliamentarian pursuers in 1650 during the English Civil War; the tree has since been known as the Royal Oak. This event was celebrated nationally on 29 May as Oak Apple Day, which is continued to this day in some communities. ‘The Royal Oak’ is the third most popular pub name in Britain (541 in 2007) and has been the name of eight major Royal Navy warships. The naval associations are strengthened by the fact that oak was the main construction material for sailing warships. The
The Royal Oak, Hail Weston The Royal Oak, Hail Weston The Royal Oak is an 18th-century public house in the village of Hail Weston, Cambridgeshire. It is the last remaining pub in the village, which is home to a population of around 610, and has a long history as a community centre. A number of local traditions revolve around the Royal Oak. These include the New Year's Day go-kart contest, where homemade push-karts are raced along the high street; an Easter Egg hunt in the pub gardens; the local Heartsease dances that takes place in and outside the pub; the 'onion bowl' where onions smoothed