Rylands have worked for the Diocese of York for nearly 40 years, undertaking tree works and grounds maintenance.

Recently the Diocese have commissioned Enviroscope, a York based consultancy firm, to undertake tree surveys on all the diocesan properties, resulting in a flood of tree related contracts for Rylands to undertake. Everything from Ivy control, to large tree removals have been undertaken. It will be a few years before we get on top of some of the properties, which have had little tree works done for many years.

This is a currently finished tree and ground mtc contract at Terrington Vicarage. Looks tidier. Even had its own badger sett!.

Looking at the Rylands archives we found a few interesting stories from over the years…

Stu Whicker Foreman putting up bird boxes for Colenso at Clifton Business park, York.

BALI fishing competitions.. We did well over the years!!!

Rylands did a health & safety day event at Bishops Place York with the HSE.

We were involved in a modern version of Macbeth at Harrogate Theatre, 1992.

Always a good image of Rylands removing the old Chestnut tree in the Coppergate centre, York.

We always liked this description of a tree!

So True !!!!!

Sarah Beeny from 2010 , where Rylands did some TV tree removal works at Hull. The show was a channel 4 programe, hosted by Sarah Beeny, were a team of experts travelled around Britain looking for homes that urgently need repair. The Rylands team featured on the 3rd episode where a house in Hull was suffering from troublesome roots, which had caused cracking to the old Victorian house. Rylands were there a few days felling & pruning back the trees, all with Local Authority approval.

Sarah Beeny & the Rylands team in action.

Rylands on Look North. Rylands were clients arborists ( consultants) for McArthurGlen at York designer outlet during its construction by Shepherds during 1997. Previously Naburn Maternity Hospital, where the owner of Rylands was born. Originally built in 1906 as York City asylum and housing POW during WW11. The centre is a focal point for York with 80 million visitors and sales of £2.5 billion. There are some magnificent trees on the site which survived the demolition and construction works, due in the main to strong on site supervision by Rylands, who with their weekly visits oversaw all works in and around the trees.

Dave Gregory Tree Inspector at McArthurGlen on Look North.

Situated by the boat house at St. Peter’s School was an old hollow mature Ash tree. Previously pollarded which extended its lifespan, unfortunately the time has now come for its removal. The main trunk, however has been left as it has some habitat value. Another old timer turned into logs and woodchip!

A new build at Strensall requires a new garden area!

Rylands have been commissioned to supply & build / lay down a new garden area, around an existing mature apple tree. The designs consists of new lawn areas, corten steel edging, gravel pathways, raised beds, wild flower areas…..

Landscape design plan.

The works will take most of March, ready for the spring.

This is the third time we have surveyed over 1,000 trees for NHS Leeds at LGI, Chapel Allerton, Seacroft & Jimmy’s hospitals. For over 15 years we have monitored and provided management plans for the fantastic trees of all four hospitals. Many are Victorian plantings from years ago, with notable mature species of historic value. There are some unusual and majestic trees on the hospital sites for which a maintenance schedule has been in place for many years. It’s not only people that are cared for on these sites!!

Just a selection of some of our old vehicles, most of which have gone now, but all did a stirling job in carting all manner of tree brash, logs and landscape materials over the years. We ran a couple of Ford cargo wagons, one with a hiab, LDV crew cab tippers and recently Ford transit crew cab tippers. We also needed 4×4 vehicles & always had a landrover somewhere in the fleet.

We even had a company motorbike, for those tricky lanes.. now replaced by a quad.

It was a bad day when we hit the post office van head on in the snow whilst doing a job for James Herriot’s partner near the White Horse!

With over 40 years trading and over 70 members of staff through the years.. there may be a few faces you remember on your tree job or landscape scheme. It’s the quality of staff and people that have worked for us that has made Rylands the company it is today. Plus of course strong management!

Good quality and detailed management, high professional ethics, treating people with courtesy and respect,not messing customers about & doing what we say we are going to do, when we say we are going to do it…that’s Rylands ethos. We also admit when something goes wrong and put things right straight away..

It’s the seven P’s of running a firm… Prior Planning and Preparation Prevent, P— Poor Performance.

Many smiling faces. It’s great to look back and remember working with these people. Many have gone onto other careers in the Industry, some came as students from Askham Bryan College during their training, others went abroad and some are still with us after 40 years!!

This was a nice surprise.. The Arboricultural Association Long Standing Membership Certificate.. 39 years and still going strong!

A nice courtyard design & build to start the 2024 year off….

Artificial turf putting green…. Nun Monkton

Rear terrace garden designed by the client & built by Rylands. Scarcroft Hill, York

Sauna & cold plunge pool plus new terrace constructed by Rylands. Nun Monkton.

Still happy at work!!!

Trees keep coming through….!!!!