Established in 1952, it was one of the first National Nature Reserves to be opened in Britain.
The reserve covers an area of 160 hectares, including one of the finest yew forests in western Europe.
Giant side branches swirl into the soil like snakes, where they made secondary roots.
From these young trees have arisen.
Photo credit:Katariina Jarvinen/Flickr
Its hard to say how old the yews are at Kingley Vale.
Yews typically have lifespans between 400 and 600 years, but some specimens can live longer.
During these years, the tree stops adding tree rings and girth to its trunk.
Determining the age of yews is, hence, mostly guesswork.
There are claims as high as 5,0009,500 years, but these values are unrealistic.
This wood was imported by royal decree with barrels of wine from Portugal and Spain.
Kingley Vale is one of the few major groves of yews remaining today.
Photo credit:Tom Hickmore/Flickr
Photo credit:Natural England/Flickr
Photo credit:debs-eye/Flickr
Sources:Wikipedia/The Guardian/www.infobritain.co.uk/www.indigogroup.co.uk
