Whittington Rectory

In the 1824 Shropshire Gazetteer we are told that ‘In the garden of the rectory, is an uncommonly fine yew tree: it is seventeen feet and a half in circunference at the distance of four feet from the ground.’
In 1849 ‘a magnificant yew-tree’ was described, ‘it is above 45 feet high, and 19 feet in circumference at 3ft 6ins from the ground; the land under its branches is 153 feet in circumference.’ This appeared in an 1849 book entitled The Railway Companion from Chester to Shrewsbury by Edward Parry.
2008 Tim Hills: I contacted Whittington Rectory for information about this tree, asking whether it still stood and to arrange a visit.
My reply from the Rector was: “The yew tree mentioned in your letter succumbed in the early 1960’s when Shropshire County Council purchased part of the Rectory grounds including the old Rectory which was demolished to build a better and safer A5 road which ran from London to Holyhead through the village. In clearing the site the yew tree was destroyed along with many other trees.”