The Astbury Yew

Many Cheshire churchyards have Yew trees within them and a good many of them are very old indeed. However there is one at Astbury church near Congleton that is reputed to be over one thousand years old. This may mean that there was a Yew tree here at this location before a Christian church was built upon this site. It may also mean that this could have been the site of a Druids Grove as the Yew tree featured prominently in Celtic belief. There is both Yew and oak trees growing at the site of a holy well which can be found on Alderley Edge, perhaps the power to heal is still retained in these magnificent old trees. Nowadays this old giant Yew tree is showing its age and because of the angle it is growing at, support struts have been put in place to help carry some of its great weight.