Featuring dawn redwood. Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. Travelling south on the A23, two miles before Brighton town centre, a rare sight comes into view; a young Wellingtonia. Although it is already quite tall, it must be something in the order of just 30 or so years old - a mere baby by Giant Redwood standards. It stands in Withdean Park, perhaps a little crowded by surrounding trees. This is not too much of a problem at the moment (it just makes photography a little awkward) but in years to come it might spoil the overall shape of the tree as it matures. Nearby is a Dawn Redwood of roughly the same age. The pictures were taken in early March, and being a deciduous conifer the Dawn Redwood has no foliage this time of year. Notice the clean overall conical shape, the incredibly straight, tapering trunk, and the way the branches sweep elegantly upward toward the ends. These are the classic characteristics of the Dawn Redwood, making them relatively easy to recognise from a distance. It may look rather bare at the moment but in a few more months this tree will have its fresh, bright green foliage on display.
Visit information
- Access
- Open to public
- Last verified
- 10 Apr 2026
- Official site
- redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/brighton.htm
Redwood species here
Dawn redwood is a deciduous redwood from China, known from fossils before living trees were documented in the 1940s. It reached British collections soon afterwards and is now found in parks, botanic gardens, and arboreta, where its soft summer foliage and rusty autumn colour make it distinct from evergreen giant sequoias and coast redwoods.
Present. A deciduous conifer thought to be extinct until rediscovered in a remote Chinese province in 1941. Seeds were distributed to botanical gardens worldwide in the late 1940s. Unlike its evergreen relativ
Native to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, giant sequoias were introduced to Britain in the 1850s during the Victorian plant-collecting era. They are the world's most massive trees by volume and have thrived in the UK's mild, wet climate, often growing faster than in parts of their native range. Many Victorian-era plantings now rival mature specimens in California.
Redwood World WGS84 reference: N50.85362 W0.15263.
1 recorded by Redwood World.
Field observations
Photos
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Redwood at Brighton - Withdean Park
About this place
About Brighton - Withdean Park
Brighton - Withdean Park is located in Brighton, Sussex, England.
Species Present
Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
Native to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, giant sequoias were introduced to Britain in the 1850s during the Victorian plant-collecting era. They are the world's most massive trees by volume and have thrived in the UK's mild, wet climate, often growing faster than in their native range. Many Victorian-era plantings now rival mature specimens in California.
Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
The tallest trees on Earth, coast redwoods can exceed 100 metres in their native California. Less common in Britain than giant sequoias, they prefer sheltered, moist locations and can still reach impressive heights in the UK. The tallest known coast redwood in Britain is over 50 metres.
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
A deciduous conifer thought to be extinct until rediscovered in a remote Chinese province in 1941. Seeds were distributed to botanical gardens worldwide in the late 1940s. Unlike its evergreen relatives, the dawn redwood loses its needles in winter, turning a striking copper-bronze in autumn.
Access
This location appears to be publicly accessible. Please check locally for current opening times and any admission charges.
Data sourced from Redwood World (redwoodworld.co.uk) and enriched by Redwood Finder.