A book box for Yew Tree Gardens.
Yew Tree BooksBREINTON · HEREFORD
YEW TREE GARDENS · BREINTON · HEREFORD

Old roots.
New stories.

The book box sits in Breinton, a place with its own history and character. Here are a few details about the area around it.

THE BOX IN ITS SETTING

Photographs of the box in the hedge, alongside hand-drawn pen sketches made from them.

Pen-and-ink sketch of the book box in its hedge with its glass door open and books leaning inside
Yew Tree Gardens book box in its hedge, photograph 1
Yew Tree Gardens book box in its hedge, photograph 2
Yew Tree Gardens book box in its hedge, photograph 3
Yew Tree Gardens book box in its hedge, photograph 4
Yew Tree Gardens book box in its hedge, photograph 5

A landscape that grows things

Breinton’s story is closely connected with its fertile soil and the cultivation of fruit and plants. In the nineteenth century, the Kings Acre Nurseries of Cranston and Mayos were a notable local enterprise, celebrated for their roses.

There is a particularly fitting detail for a book-sharing project: an account from 1876–77 records the former Coach and Horses Inn becoming a reading room, especially for the nursery workers.

Source: Breinton Parish Council, Breinton’s History.

The yews beside St Michael’s

St Michael’s Church in Lower Breinton has medieval origins, though much of the building was rebuilt in the nineteenth century. The parish history describes two large yews in its churchyard and suggests they may reach back to the church’s early days. Their exact age is uncertain.

Source: Breinton Parish Council, St Michael’s Church.

A city with books at its heart

Hereford Cathedral’s Chained Library is another place to follow a love of books. Explore the cathedral’s own account of the collection and the chains that once helped keep valuable volumes in their places.

Read more: Hereford Cathedral’s Chained Library.