It is quite possible that St Mary's is the oldest church in the Benefice - many of the elements of its design and geography ( its hilltop positioning, the circular graveyard, and the ancient yew tree) point to the possibility that the church was built to replace an earlier pagan shrine. The yew tree itself is certainly the pre-eminent feature of the churchyard - standing just opposite the south porch, it is of a great age, though (as with all ancient trees), it cannot be known for certain exactly how old it is. The botanist David Bellamy reportedly said that he thought it could be up to 4,000 years old - it is certainly amongst the oldest trees in the whole country. Disaster struck when, in 1998, the tree was deliberately set on fire, causing extensive damage which killed the central stem. However, the outer shell survived, and the tree continues to thrive.
Contact details
- Phone: 01989 568736
- Website: www.ariconium.church/
Address
Linton, Ross-on-Wye, Linton, HR9 7RX
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