Perhaps one of the most enigmatic of the trees of my selection, mostly due to the lack of information available on its history or naming, the Big Belly Oak is one of several great oaks within Savernake Forest, others being The King of Limbs and The Cathedral Oak, as examples. Its name appears to derive directly from its physical appearance — its trunk bellowing at the bottom resembling a bloated human stomach. It is also, however, occasionally referred to as the Big-Bellied Oak. According to a BBC article in 2002, a local legend surrounding the tree tells of how, if one were to dance naked twelve times, anti-clockwise around the tree, the Devil may be summoned (BBC News, 2002).

A major characteristic of the tree is their large metal ‘corset’ that holds the tree together just above the 'belly', a conservation method implemented in early 2002 to prevent the tree from splitting in half (BBC News, 2002; Dalton, 2023). As another pollarded tree, the large cavity that subsequently emerged is a direct result of this method is also a reason for its taring; the limbs either side of the tree's trunk effectively pulling it slowly apart.

Despite this preventative measure no fences are in place to block visitors from getting close to the tree or stepping inside its hollow trunk. This is most likely due to its proximity to the A346, being just a few meters from the road. Because of this, visibility is good if travelling to Savernake by car, or even if you just happen to be passing, however good local knowledge is required to find the tree on foot as there are no signs (as of July 2023) directing you to the tree within the forest. Two signs identify the tree when found, one being the plaque to identify Big Belly as one of 50 'Great British Trees', the other being a name plate put together by those who manage the forest.