Ninfield

The Victorian postcard is evidence that the fragments we see today are part of yew that has been larger than 7m in girth in its past.
1994 – Owen Johnson: 12m tall with a diameter of 169 cm at the ground (Sussex Tree Book). He described it as ‘trunks, diverging from the base, are all so hollow that the tree resembles a kind of giant basket’.
July 1999 – Tim Hills: The tree has also been described as a ‘skeleton’. The postcard provides evidence that this yew has been considerably larger girthed than it is today. A ground cross section shows many separate stems – all appear to fuse together and provide a tree with a vigorous green canopy. I recorded a girth of 17′ 8″ (538cm) at the ground, allowing the tape to ride above the roots, and 20′ 10″ (635cm) at 3′.