never, if its 8 feet, too mature to move with any real hope of its surviving without a digger and heavy lifting gear and a large tarpaulin.

I'll bet it strikes reasonably easily from cuttings - and grows quickly. Why not take some this summer and see if you can grow your own replacement?

Hello! I would not use a digger, but a couple of strong men with forks and bars to dig out as much of the root ball as possible. You will probably end up cutting the main tap root, which will stop its future upward growth. Water it thoroughly before trying to move it, and again after it has been moved into a well-watered large hole that will take as many of the roots as possible. At this time of year the fibrous roots are particularly important. It may be worth a try if you have the 'muscle' and time available?! Keep a TLC look out on it and water it regularly especially in dry weather. A good two large handfuls of bonemeal will also help mixed in the base soil of the new hole to encourage new root growth. Also, mix soil from the original site with additional John Innes no.3 as needed to back-fill the new hole. Good luck!

My response was slightly tongue in cheek, Avkg47,meant simply to convey the right performance required to attempt it! I can't see the point of all that trouble, frankly - its unlikely to be successful, and Photinia Red Robin isn't expensive to buy. I'd chop it down, dig out what I could and bin it, and replant another, new one elsewhere.

I agree, bamboo :-)))