Yews: The Grand Old Survivors

With many well over 1,000 years old, these fascinating trees have stood the test of time and ‘assaults’ over the centuries by generations of people.

WITH their deserved reputation for longevity, it’s not surprising that yew trees fascinate us humans who might clock up a tenth of the age of these sprightly evergreens… if lucky. And even after a millennium, some are still going strong. So we should not be surprised that so many are found in conservation areas of Buckinghamshire’s villages, in formal gardens and, of course, churchyards.

In some cases it’s a lone yew, left to twist and turn and survive the battering of big storms over the centuries, or even get going again after being struck by lightning or chopped down to little more than a stump by long since departed humans who decided it was taking up too much room or they had a good use for its wood.

But you’ll also find clipped yew, particularly thick and fat hedges, around the county, and one of the finest examples of what yew can do when given the chance is found at Shalstone in Aylesbury Vale. This small and very attractive village to the west of Stowe has some notable trees, including Giant Redwoods, among the first to be brought here from the United States, in the grounds of Shalstone Manor, home of the Purefoy family.