12. Minster Yard Beech
A massive beech tree in the cathedral close is a worthwhile detour for anyone visiting York Minster.
Welcome to The Street Tree! This is the twelfth in a series of posts about great individual trees from Britain and Ireland. Look out for at least one a week over the coming months.
For a tree to get noticed in the vicinity of York Minster it needs to be impressive, and there is a tree, north of the chapter house that fits the bill. The Minster Yard Beech is one of the most impressive beech trees in England. It appears to be in its prime: tall and straight-trunked with a full canopy that dangles around its substantial trunk. Â
Species details
Beech
Fagus sylvatica
Where to find it
Minster Yard, York YO1 7JJ
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Beech notes
Old orthodoxies suggest that beech trees are only native to southern England and south eastern Wales, presumably based on pollen counts from immediately post glacial deposits. But this fixing of a ‘native’ territory denies its onward expansion both naturally and with help from early human settlers. A recent study at the University of Stirling makes the claim that beech should be considered native to Scotland, and while It’s thought that beech did not arrive in Ireland until the 16th century, it is an essential part of the landscape there as it is elsewhere in these islands.
