Yew are splitting my sides...

Another casualty of Storm Darragh was the Yew in the churchyard of St James's, at the top of the village in Churchend. The tree split three ways, with limbs either side breaking free of the central, and rather subsidiary, trunk.

The thirteenth century church is closed and is looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust, while the churchyard is managed by the local authority. They will send their tree surgeon in when he has finished all the higher priority work from storm damage around the area.

I don't know if they will leave the core tree - I hope so. Yew is reputed to be immortal, and this storm-damaged tree will grow again from its roots, though it take another thousand years. Plus, I'm not sure about digging up stumps in a graveyard... probably needs an exhumation licence!