After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, the original 12th century Cistercian abbey
and its estate slowly changed into a country house estate.
With owners such as George Talbot the Earl of Shewsbury an Elizabethen property magnet whose wife, Bess of Hardwick later built Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. Later the Savile family from Yorkshire eventually made it their main country seat.
Rufford Abbey & Park, Nottinghamshire.
What remains of the Abbey/Country House together with 150 acres of the original 18,500 acres is now owned and overseen by Nottinghamshire County Council.
In early 2011 I was contacted by the head ranger at Rufford Country Park saying that they had a Yew tree available that had been felled the year before because of storm damage and would I be interested in it (silly question).
Having had an initial site meeting and agreed to mill the tree in situe, it wasn't until later that I discovered how important this tree was.
It was believed to have formed part of the hedgerow that had lined the original drive to the Country House.
It was the first and would be the only Yew tree to come out of the estate
As the Park is open to the public and extremely difficult to fence off, between my seeing the tree for the first time and actually starting to mill it someone had helped themselves to a section of one of the branches, presumably for firewood, the winter of 2011 was a bit cold!
My first viewing of the tree in January 2011.
The day of milling in late September 2011, the branches removed and the trunk cleaned up ready for the first cut.
As the first slice was removed the quality of the wood could be seen.
As each plank was cut and removed the inner beauty of the tree was revealed.
The planks are now drying at my premises and will be ready for making into furniture in 2014 - 2015. It is hoped that around mid 2015 I may be able to have an exhibition in the gallery at Rufford Country Park where furniture made form this tree will be on show.
