Ancient survivors

Midwinter is the ideal moment to make a pilgrimage to see our most venerable conifers. Long before Christianity reached these islands, yews were sacred to the Anglo-Saxons and Celts, so they have a very long cultural history. Fittingly, they are also the oldest living things in Britain. Our country supports hundreds of ancient yews aged at least 1,000 years, with four thought to have survived five millennia. Yet these mighty trees, some of which have split trunks and an enormous girth, enjoy little or no formal protection – even those growing in churchyards.

GET INVOLVED

Find and report old yew trees at ancient-yew.org