Oswestry - Weston Lane (Shropshire)

Thanks to Naomi for the location of a Giant Redwood with two trunks. She says, "I thought I would write to let you know about the large Wellingtonia in the grounds of our house Plas Wilmot in Oswestry, Shropshire. The tree seems to have two trunks, one slightly larger than the other. I'm not sure if it is actually two trees as the trunks are touching at the base. Plas Wilmot is also the birthplace of the poet Wilfred Owen." These photographs of two trees were taken whilst travelling through Oswestry, sadly when Naomi was not at home to enable a full picture of the tree to be taken of the Giant Redwood. The young Coast Redwood was noticed in a garden across the road, a surprising and unexpected find!

Helen wrote in November 2012 with some more information. "I can answer your question about whether the Wellingtonia in the garden is one or two trees. It's one; the second bit is an offshot. My mother's family moved to the house in 1956 and lived there until 1972 – I visited several times when I was a small child. The cropped photo is taken from one that my mother took in April 1968. Unfortunately I don't have any that show the whole tree, but I remember the offshot being much smaller and shorter – you can see that from the photo. We used to have a swing under the tree (but not attached to it) and I vividly remember the piney smell. I remember the main tree as being very tall indeed, but when you're seven years old most trees are tall." Thank you Helen, it's good to hear from someone who has memories of the tree as a child and a little history on the tree and owners is always worth recording. * * * Update - October 2021 * * *

Giant Redwood - 1959

Helen sent another photograph of this Giant Redwood, this one taken in 1959 and she wrote; "I have just found another picture for you while going through my mother's old photos. It was taken in 1959 and shows the tree in all its then glory - you can just see the offshot off to the left. A bit more information also - Mum says that when her family moved into the house, her father was planning on having the tree cut down but the price for the timber was so low that he decided not to bother!" Thank you for this extra photograph and information. It's good to keep a record of these trees and even better when we know some of their history. The offshoot is definitely visible in the 1959 photograph.

Common Names and Latin Name	No.	Latitude and Longitude		OS National Grid	Elevation (above sea-level)	Height	Date Measured
		WGS84	OSGB36
Giant Redwood Sequoiadendron giganteum	1	N52.85017 W3.05534	N52.84984 W3.05402	SJ 29027 28595	424ft (129.27m)	30.8m	May 2010
Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens	2	N52.85093 W3.05526	N52.85060 W3.05394	SJ 29034 28679	418ft (127.44m)	8.4m	May 2010