Castlewellan - Castlewellan Forest Park (County Down)

Thanks to Ann for letting us know about this fabulous tree in Castlewellan and the fact that it won a place in the finals of the U.K. Tree of the Year 2018. See the Woodland Trust website for details of how to vote (you have until 24 October) via the BBC One Show. "This striking, rare, multi-stemmed giant sequoia, also known as giant redwood, stands within the magical walled garden at Castlewellan Forest Park. It was planted as a sapling in 1856, at the same time as the Castle was built, by the Annesley family – the former owners of the Castlewellan demesne who had a strong passion and love for trees. This tree was grown from one of the original seeds first brought back to England, from California, in 1853 by the renowned collector William Lobb, working for Veitch Nurseries. He dashed to the Sierra Nevada in 1852 when he first heard of these monster trees, anticipating correctly that the species, renowned for being the world’s largest tree, would be hugely popular among Victorian collectors. This form, rarely seen other than in the wild, has 19 trunks. Young climbers are amazed when their parents point out that all 19 trunks are in fact one incredible tree! "

"The black and white photo was taken in 1871 by 5th Earl Annesley who owned the estate and was responsible for putting together the tree collection in the Arboretum. He was an early photographer and kept a record of all the trees he planted. The sequoia was planted in 1856.". A great photograph taken when the Giant Redwood just fifteen years old, little did they know what an amazing specimen it was to become.