[1][2] The tree has a girth of 5.5 metres (18 ft) and is thought to be in good health, producing some 100,000 acorns each year.

[1][2][3] The tree is also reputed to have been damaged in 1864 when the merchant ship Lottie Sleigh, carrying 11 tonnes of gunpowder, exploded on the River Mersey, some 3 miles (4.8 km) away.

[1][2][3] The detonation blew out the windows of the nearby Calderstones Manor and is said to have caused a large crack in the trunk of the tree which has weakened it structurally.

[2][1] The tree and the land it stands on was owned by Henry and Charles MacIver from 1875 until 1902 when they gave it to the Liverpool Corporation to form Calderstones Park.

[2][3][4] As of 2019, Liverpool City Council and Mersey Forest are undertaking an £80,000 project to replace the props with a modern support system that will be adjustable to accommodate the tree's growth.