Great Waltham - The Old School House (Essex)

The Old School House on South Street in Great Waltham has this lovely Giant Redwood bordering its front garden. The owner described how the council had insisted that the driveway was not built with concrete underneath the gravel so that the tree's roots were not starved of air. It is good to see a council taking care of its tree heritage, and the owner seemed pleased to receive such useful advice. The house has a plaque that indicates it was built in 1891, and the owner suggested that this may be when the tree was planted. Judging by the tree's size this seems quite plausible.

Thanks to Jan who wrote to say "I am from Australia and am researching my husband's ancestors from Great Waltham born during the late 1800's. I came across your website with the photo of the redwood tree at the Great Waltham School house. I have attached a photo of the family home taken in the late 1800's or early 1900's with the young Redwood tree in the foreground. John Robert Sydes was the Schoolmaster in Great Waltham with Catherine Sydes and their family of 11 or 12 children." It is really good to hear the history and to see a photograph of this tree when it was younger, it has certainly grown some! Many thanks Jan.

Common Names and Latin Name	Latitude and Longitude		OS National Grid	Elevation (above sea-level)	Height	Girth	Date Measured
	WGS84	OSGB36
Giant Redwood, Wellingtonia Sequoiadendron giganteum	N51.79265 E0.45650	N51.79216 E0.45819	TL 69508 13298	136ft (41.5m)	22.2m	3.92m	January 2007
Girth was measured at 1.5m from ground.