So, it's been bugging me what this wood is. So today I ventured out into the East Kent wilds to see if I could track down more info.
I found the tree, splayed across the verge, complete with the marks where I sawed it off. I traced the bits back, followed it through, and found the main trunk. The tree had split very neatly, which explains the cause of death. But more interesting is that the tree was growing out of the bank of a ditch, giving very wet feat.
I tried to find leaves on the ground that I could trace back, but alas, Oak was all I found.
But the real discovery was that while the branch I had picked up was dead, there were sections of the branch I had sawn off, that were not. To the point of having buds that are green and showing signs of life. With this in mind, I bought some back, and now have a few cuttings sat in some soil. Hopefully it will take root, and leaves will form, allowing a final sure fire ID.
With the bud shape, the growing conditions, and the streetview photo of it in freshly dead, with (albeit blurred) leaves, gives enough evidence that I am leaning (beyond a balance of probabilities) that this is actually Grey Willow, or a hybrid thereof.
I will give more updates and progress (including the photos I took today), as things develop (roots).
Thanks
J
