Spencers Wood - Stanbury Estate (Berkshire)

Thanks to Brian for the location and the above photograph of an avenue of Giant Redwoods in Berkshire in 2008. He says "I came across this avenue of 36 giant sequoias at Spencer's Wood, Berkshire, by accident. Oddly, the drive leads to a small group of very ordinary houses." Well done Brian for finding the avenue, it is possible that the avenue once adorned the entrance to a large house that has since been demolished. It looks as though they could do with a little tlc to tidy up the scrub growing around the bases of the trunks. http://wikimapia.org/4267519/Stanbury_Estate_Spencers_Wood_Berkshire "A 17 bedroom mansion was built in the 1860's by Frederick Allfrey and the estate had about 150 acres. By 1889 the estate went from Basingstoke Road to Woodcock Lane (by the modern Swallowfield bypass) and up to Grazeley Road. Mr Allfrey died aged 96 in 1915 and is buried at Grazeley Church - he was the longest living old Harrovian at the time. His elder brother had lived at Wokefield Park, Mortimer which is nearby. The drive, called Wellington Court, is lined with giant redwood sequoia trees. The mansion was requisitioned by the Government for use by the army in WW2 and there was a German POW camp here using Nissen huts, which were used after the war for general housing. In the early 1950's the owner bought a large orangery, which had been part of the Maiden Erlegh estate in Earley owned by Sol Joel. The 2000 pieces were dismantled and rebuilt here. It was sold in the 1980's and is believed now to be in Cornwall. Sadly the mansion caught fire in 1960 and was badly damaged and so was demolished. A small private housing estate was built in 1969/70 on part of the land. The South Lodge still exists. "

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Thanks to Asimina who sent the above photograph of the avenue in 2020, now adorning a fence either side of the path. Asimina said "A Sequoiadendron avenue of thirty eight trees. Clearly identifiable from the M4 (J11) but keep your eyes on the road. Not quite as impressive as the hundred and five at Crowthorne but close. There are also other individal Sequoiadendron on adjacent land. The first tree in avenue Measured at 6.32 girth."