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Forest of Dean - Wigpool Common

Nearest town: Mitcheldean

Site type: woodland

Access: Public

Church name: No Data

Diocese: No Data

County: Gloucestershire

Country: England

Grid ref: SO64801946

Lost yew site: No

Date visited: 21-Apr-16

Recorded by: Peter Norton/Jon Tainton

Protection & responsibility: Forestry Commission

Yews recorded at this site: Ancient 4m-5m, Notable

Notes: A number of wild yews grow in the Scowles that outcrop around the Wigpool syncline. The land is owned by the Forestry Commission with open access to the public, however some areas are fenced off for safety reasons.Within the Forest of Dean, Scowles are the local name for surface diggings within outcrops of limestone to extract iron ore. These features are hard to date and in some cases may originate from the Roman period, although no records exists to substantiate this. An area called the Delves contains several pits within a woodland area. There are a few exposed limestone pillars that remain and of these, some have yews growing from them.