Gloucester - Barnwood Arboretum (Gloucestershire)
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Gloucester - Barnwood Arboretum (Gloucestershire) |
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 "Metasequoia glyptostroboides - This tree was planted by W.I. Croome Esq.- Chairman of Barnwood House to commemorate the coronation on 2nd June 1953 of Queen Elizabeth the Second" |
 Two Giant Redwood either side of the chapel - April 2017 |
 Giant Redwood - April 2017 |
 Giant Redwood - April 2017 |
 The two Dawn Redwood - April 2017 |
 Giant Redwood - April 2017 |
| Ten years after Jason's discovery (see below) I paid a visit to Barnwood Arboretum in April 2017 and discovered there are five Giant Redwood (two beside the chapel) and two Dawn Redwood (one planted in 1953 and the other is a young sapling). There are many other specimen trees in the Arboretum and since 2015 there is now a carved seat to sit on and admire them. |
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| Thanks to Jason for these photographs of two Giant Redwood in Barnwood Arboretum. Jason explained the events that led him to this discovery. "I've been looking at planting trees instead of paying for someone else to do it for me as a carbon tax for a recent plane journey. It struck me that instead of planting a dozen or two willows I could instead plant a single *huge* tree which would lock away its carbon for much longer which is how I found your excellent site. When I went to the list of sightings I was surprised to see no redwoods listed in Gloucestershire at all, so I thought I'd pop down to Barnwood Arboretum where I'd heard there was a redwood growing... I found 2 of them there and took a few snaps, see attached pics. I didn't take any proper measuring tools with me, but using your rough 'n' ready method I later estimated the taller one to be 95ft tall and 17ft in girth at chest height. If you want more accurate stats for your site, I can go back with a friend and do a better job of sizing and photographing them." Great idea to plant that carbon-guzzling Redwood! Very glad to add Gloucestershire to the list of sightings and if you would like to get more accurate measurements I would be pleased to add them. "I was picking up a few cones in the hope of extracting some seeds when I found some (dozens) seedlings that had germinated in the shade of the nearby church/chapel, so I scooped out a couple as carefully as I could, carried them home and put them into pots. I've no idea if they'll take kindly to being cupped in my hands for the mile or so walk back home but I'll do my best to nurture them! If all goes well my partner's dad has a 2 acre smallholding with a stream running by which should provide a good home once they're past the stage when cows/sheep/pigs will bother them..." |
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| I wonder whether the seedlings that you brought back are perhaps of the Coast Redwood type (Sequoia sempervirens) rather than Giant Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum). My reasons for suspecting this are two-fold, firstly they prove temperamental and quite delicate when growing from seed and secondly despite several years visiting many hundreds of Giant Redwoods in England, I have yet to see even a single seedling that has grown naturally!
Nevertheless, whichever they prove to be, you have a couple of terrific seedlings. I do hope they survive and you will be able to tell about your own trees on the Tall Tales page in the future! |
| Common Names and Latin Name | No. | Latitude and Longitude | OS National Grid | Elevation (above sea-level) |
Height | Girth | Date Measured | |
| WGS84 | OSGB36 | |||||||
| Giant Redwood Sequoiadendron giganteum |
1 | N51.85929 W2.20365 |
N51.85884 W2.20227 |
SO 86072 17875 | 69ft (21.04m) |
33.4m | 4.72m | April 2017 |
| 2 | N51.85992 W2.20403 |
N51.85948 W2.20265 |
SO 86046 17945 | 82ft (25.00m) | 26.1m | 5.62m | April 2017 | |
| Dawn Redwood Metasequoia glyptostrobodies |
3 | N51.85979 W2.20453 |
N51.85934 W2.20315 |
SO 86011 17931 | 75ft (22.87m) |
17.3m | -- | April 2017 |
| 4 | N51.85963 W2.20471 |
N51.85918 W2.20333 |
SO 85999 17913 | 73ft (22.26m) |
6.6m | 0.53m | April 2017 | |
| Giant Redwood Sequoiadendron giganteum |
5 | N51.85965 W2.20501 |
N51.85920 W2.20363 |
SO 85978 17915 | 74ft (22.56m) |
27.1m | 6.16m | April 2017 |
| 6 | N51.85894 W2.20479 |
N51.85849 W2.20341 |
SO 85993 17836 | 74ft (22.56m) |
29.4m | 5.97m | April 2017 | |
| 7 | N51.85890 W2.20508 |
N51.85845 W2.2037 |
SO 85973 17832 | 72ft (21.95m) |
28.1m | 4.61m | April 2017 | |
| Girth was measured at 1.5m from ground. | ||||||||