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Railford Bottom Whatley - Ancient yews

Nearest town: Frome

Site type: woodland

Access: Public

Church name:

Diocese:

County: Somerset

Country: England

Grid ref: ST7295047731

Lost yew site: No

Date visited: 1-Aug-13

Recorded by: Peter Norton

Protection & responsibility: No data

Yews recorded at this site: Ancient 4m-5m, Ancient 5m-7m

Notes: The site overlooks Whatley Quarry, one of the largest in England, found at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills. The rock is Carboniferous Limestone overlain by thin soil. In his Gazetteer in The Sacred Yew (1994) Allen Meredith described 'a yew grove of about 100 trees, pollarded to 3ft from ground about 600 years ago, threatened by nearby quarrying'. It is not known whether these yews at Railford Bottom are all that remain, or whether there are further discoveries still to be made. This is undoubtedly a rare and exceptional site and it is hoped that these trees will not be threatened by quarry expansion.