Kirkby Lonsdale - Thurland Castle (Lancashire)

Thanks to Martin who wrote to say "I have been doing some research to try and identify three very large trees where I live. Three years ago I moved to Thurland Castle in North Lancs, about three miles south of Kirkby Lonsdale. The property is part of the castle, of which parts dare back to Cromwellian times and beyond, now converted into residential use. The property is gated and there is no right of public entry and so it may have gone unnoticed from the road, but in and around the line avenue leading to the property are three very large redwoods - two inside the curtilage and one in the wider grounds, now owned by a local farmer. I enclose a picture of the largest inside the property. Can you tell me what species they are and whether they are worth recording?" The tree in the picture you sent is certainly a Giant Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum) or Wellingtonia as they are often called. It is definitely worth recording and many people like to put a Tree Preservation Order on them to protect them from future developers, something really worthwhile for these trees as they can live for thousands of years.