Craswall Priory

2016 Paul Wood: This yew was once in a similar situation to the lost yew, growing on top of the remains of the superstructure of the Priory after it became a ruin. Suggestions that once grew inside its own tower, built especially to protect an already old tree, are not backed up by the archaeology. The red arrow in the final photo shows roots that grow down the side of the priory wall. The yellow arrow shows roots cut that were originally sat on church wall. This is clear evidence the tree grew on a ruin and indeed still lies on piles of eroded rubble.
In 2003 Tim Hills noted ‘a yew that fell long ago and lies on ground that slopes downhill from where it fell. Half of its roots point upwards, those that hold the tree into the ground have thickened and now appear to be more like small trunks’.