Yew tree enters record books for having canopy as big as Royal Albert Hall

London, May 20 (ANI): A yew tree, whose canopy is said to be as big as the size of London's Royal Albert Hall, has entered the record books as the widest tree in the UK.

The tree, which was discovered in the grounds of Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire, and which has engulfed a National Trust garden, is 50 metres wider than its nearest rival, and has a crown circumference of 175.5 metres.

Experts believe that the 350-year-old Yew may even be the widest in Europe, and it has now been recorded in the Tree Register of the British Isles (TROBI) as the largest spreading crown of any tree in Britain and Ireland.

"This remarkable tree has spent most of its life growing naturally sideways rather than upwards," the Telegraph quoted David Alderman, from TROBI, as saying.

"Many of its branches have rooted themselves, providing even more vigour as it has engulfed other trees originally planted 25 metres away.

"As yew can live for 1,000 years or more, if left unchecked, this tree could potentially keep growing ever wider and eventually cover the whole estate," he added. (ANI)