The Ancient Yew Group (AYG) is a conservation body which collects field data and historic material about our oldest Yew trees. We currently have 11 full members, including data gatherers, tree professionals, academics and authors, all of whom have a long history of service to the cause of preserving and studying ancient yews.
An international database of yews, featuring 2500 trees in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Spain.
Find a yewAn interactive map of more than 1000 sites where our oldest and most remarkable yews can be seen.
View mapThe Church of England and the Church in Wales are custodians of the majority of our oldest trees.
Find out moreThe Charity “Caring for God’s Acre” have launched a Love Your Yew Week (8th – 14th February 2025). It is a new initiative dedicated to the care and preservation of ancient yew trees. It is a week to encourage those caring for these special trees, most of which are in churchyards, to focus on simple […]
Read moreSince the launch of our new website in September 2023, we have added a further 250 yew sites. Thanks to all who have contributed time and effort into gathering this information and allowing it to be shared. While many of these are notable specimens, approximately 100 ancient trees also feature.
Read moreWelcome to the Ancient Yew Goup’s new website. We are grateful to David Alderman of TROBI who has overseen the project from start to finish, to Caring for God’s Acre who organised fund raising, and for generous individuals and organisations who have contributed to the cost. While there remain elements that are not yet complete, […]
Read moreFollowing a major limb failure in April 2022 on the South-West side of the tree the remaining canopy has been exposed to prevailing winds. On Friday the 6th of January 2023 strong winds caused a major failure of the majority of the remaining crown. The fallen sections of the crown collapsed to the north/north-east across […]
Read moreThe Norman church of St Mary Magdalene at Leinthall Starkes stands in a remote location 8 miles SW of Ludlow. At the end of a long grassy track, the church is guarded by 4 ancient yews, 2 at the east and 2 at the west end of the church. In late 2021 a large branch […]
Read moreWhile we know there are still many undocumented yew sites to be found, to find a previously unrecorded Ancient (exceptional) specimen has happened to me only once during 25 years of documenting old yews. In November 2021 I visited the churchyard at Michaelston-le-Pit to discover this vast male tree, more than 9m in girth and […]
Read more