There has been a church on this spot in Ruislip since Norman times, and the yew growing south-east of it has likely kept it company for more than four centuries of that. The Ancient Yew Group measured the trunk at 490 centimetres round, taken half a metre off the ground, and under its rule of thumb a yew of that size is likely more than 400 years old. That is an estimate from girth, not a count of rings, and the true figure could be a good deal older. The group also recorded that this yew is female. Male yews scatter pollen in early spring and are done with it; female trees carry the red, fleshy cups that ripen in autumn. Come in September or October and that is the tree giving itself away. St Martin's sits right on Ruislip's High Street, so the tree is an easy detour from the shops. The measurement we have is the group's, and we have not confirmed that the trunk you meet is the one they taped. If you visit with a tape of your own, tell us what you find. The churchyard is free and open to the public.
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Getting there
St Martin's churchyard, High Street, Ruislip HA4
You can recognise it by its trunk, 490 centimetres round half a metre up, and in autumn by the red berries of a female yew. It stands south-east of St Martin's church, in the churchyard.
Ruislip station (Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines), roughly 10 minutes' walk (not source-checked).
In fruit
September and October, when this female yew carries its red berries
The line is our estimate of how much there is to see, not a measurement. Typical for this species where this tree stands; exact weeks shift with the year.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from. The story was written with AI from these sources, and readers who know the tree correct it.
