The Crowhurst (Sussex) Yew

[poliphilo]

There are two villages called Crowhurst- one in Sussex, one in Surrey. Both have churches dedicated to St George and both churchyards contain ancient yews.

This is the Sussex yew. It's hard to date but was most probably planted in the 8th century. It was already 300 years old when the Battle of Hastings was fought nearby.

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[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There's a photograph taken in the late 19th century that suggests the tree is in better health now than it was then.

Aubrey visited it in the 1690s and measured it. It is slightly bigger now, but not so you'd notice.