Shining Cliff Wood

Nearest town: Belper

Site type: woodland

Access: Public

Church name: No Data

Diocese: No Data

County: Derbyshire

Country: England

Grid ref: SK333534

Lost yew site: Yes

Date visited: 14-Sep-05

Recorded by: Tim Hills

Protection & responsibility: No data

Yews recorded at this site: Lost

Notes: A long trek through woodland, and difficult to find because of the large number of paths. The images from 1890 and 1920 show the yew when it was alive. In the 1890 photo a man sits inside the tree smoking a pipe. The accompanying text reads as follows: 'Not far from Oakhurst in Shining Cliff Wood on a commanding eminence stood a famous yew tree. Its branches, though damaged a few years ago by fire, still overlap one another and touch the ground. In a cone shaped hut under the tree, they brought up a family of eight children, without ever having entered a house except for the purchase of necessities'. The text of the 1920 photograph is as follows: 'Becky Kenny's Tree: This 1920s Blount's Real Photo example shows a man complete with plus-fours, short jacket and a hat not dissimilar to a bowler. The tree appears to be somewhat dead in places but is still very large. In the original caption the name has been corrupted (or misspelt) as Becky, and the statement in the title as being near Crich is misleading'.