Wealden Times | WT173 | July 2016 | Interiors supplement inside

The
Green
Goddess
Penny Kemp on
the power of the
mighty yew…
If you have never been to Ulcombe, do pay a visit to All
Saints church. It is a little way out of the village, up the hill,
on the left. The church had its beginning in the twelfth
century but it’s the yew trees that are spectacular. I have a great
photo of the children climbing the yew. One of the yew trees
is said to be over 2000 years old and many others have been
recorded as over 4000 years old. A yew tree that has a sixty
foot spread sited in St Cynogs’ churchyard, Powys has been
recorded as over 5000 years old. Professor Janis Fry, who has
studied the yew, Taxus baccata, for over forty years believes it
to be the oldest tree in Britain, if not in Europe. To put it in
context, this tree was around two thousand years before Christ.
Our tree in Ulcombe was seeded in Anglo Saxon times,
and set me thinking why yew trees are found in churchyards.
The yew is associated with mortality and death in most
people’s minds yet religion and myth connect the yew
with long life, communication and transformation.
The reason yews are often in churchyards is because early
Christians used Druid temple sites to build churches. The yew was
sacred to Hecate, goddess of witchcraft and magic and she was a
guardian of the underworld and assisted Demeter in finding her
daughter Persephone, who had been abducted by Hades. It was
believed that the yew is a powerful protector, a bringer of dreams
and should be protected. Celts believed the yew is the last of the
twenty trees in the tree Ogham, a system whereby Druids gained
their wisdom. It is said that in hot weather, Shaman would inhale
the resinous vapour of the yew to induce trances and pass on their
visions. It’s no wonder that onlookers respected the tree believing
it to be a connection with the other world, and helping people
make the journey from life to death. The yew was the transformer
showing people that death was a re-birth to other places and gives
spiritual guidance by summoning up spirits. Tribal leaders had the
honour of being buried under a yew believing that they could pass
on their knowledge to living Shaman.
Leeds Castle in Kent has a magnificent maze consisting of
2400 yew trees. And although it is set in a square, from an Ariel
point of view, it becomes a circle. Hever Castle, in Kent near
Edenbridge known for being the childhood home of Anne Boleyn
has a hundred year old yew tree maze and nearly a quarter of a
mile of pathways.
You can propagate a yew tree from a cutting or seeds. Seeds can
take up to two years to germinate. Semi-ripe cuttings or softwood
cuttings taken in summer should be put in a cold frame and left
to root.
Toy and
Collectors
Fair
Saturday 30 th &
Sunday 31 st July
Our Paddock at
Horsted Keynes will
be transformed into a
sandy beach!
Donkey Rides, Punch
& Judy Shows and an
End of Pier Show of
Humour and Song.
Vintage
Transport
weekend
tate
fencing
CONTACT US
BLUEBELL RAILWAY
Enjoy an all day visit
with a train ride as well
as the collectors fair.
Discounted Bluebell
Bonus tickets are
available if booked at
least 8 days in advance
of the travel date.
Seaside weekend
Saturday 6 th &
Sunday 7 th August
Saturday 13 th &
Sunday 14 th August
The displays of
vintage & classic cars,
stationary engines,
commercial vans,
steam road engines
and motorbikes will
be on show at Horsted
Keynes Station.
Steam hauled vintage
train service.
(T&Cs apply, please call or visit our website for details)
For more information 01825 720800 www.bluebell-railway.com
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Tonbridge Branch
01732 853134
Frant Branch
01892 750230
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