[Kleftiwallah]

It looks as though someone has been playing a blowtorch over the branch ends of my cherry tree.

Anyone out there know what this blackening is?

Cheers,   Tony.

[New shoot]

Did you have problems with blossoms rotting in the spring Tony?  It could be brown rot, which affects cherry blossoms and can also get into young growth on branch ends.

[Trillium]

You just might have fireblight. It looks like the branch ends have burned off - leaves and stems.

If that's what you have, the way I fix it is to cut off the 'burnt' sections back into fresh wood and dip the cutters in straight vinegar after each cut. Then I spray the whole tree down with a 40% white vinegar to 60% water solution. The vinegar kills off the spores very quickly. Bin the damaged cuttings.

[Kleftiwallah]

It certainly matches your description trillium.  Thanks.   

Cheers,   Tony.

[Yorkie]

I've just been looking at the RHS page for fireblight, as the description fits what's going on with apple trees near me (and mine).

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=160

Fireblight doesn't affect cherries according to them - although it does affect apples 

[New shoot]

Brown rot on cherry tree shoots can look a lot like fireblight.  Fireblight only affects apples, pears and some related ornamental trees