Llangernyw Yew

The Llangernyw Yew stands in the churchyard of St Digain’s Church in the village of Llangernyw, Conwy County Borough. It is an ancient yew tree whose trunk has split into several large offshoots after losing its core. The girth at ground level measures over ten metres and its age is estimated between four and five thousand years. A carved stone board beside the tree repeats this estimate and compares it with other ancient yews. The church once housed an oil tank between two trunk fragments before it was moved to protect the tree. In 2002 the Tree Council named it one of the Fifty Great British Trees during Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Local legend tells of Angelystor, a spirit said to announce the names of parishioners who will die in the coming year. Every Halloween a voice is said to boom from the church, foretelling deaths. A story relates how a man called Siôn Ap Rhobert heard his own name called out and died within the year. The yew’s great age and the churchyard setting give weight to such traditions. Visitors can stand beside the massive branches and listen to the wind through the foliage. The surroundings include the quiet village of Llangernyw and the churchyard where the tree grows. A path leads past the carved stone board that records the age estimate. The yew’s fragmented trunk spreads wide, supported by iron cradles to help it stand. Nearby gravestones date from different centuries, adding to the sense of long continuity. The village itself is small and peaceful, with stone cottages and a single main street. Visitors often pause to admire the tree before walking around the churchyard or exploring the lanes beyond.