Dawn Redwood Open to public Free to visit

Bute Park

Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales

A large public park in the heart of Cardiff with several notable conifers including dawn redwood specimens planted in the late 20th century. The park follows the River Taff and offers one of the most accessible encounters with redwood species in the Welsh capital.

Visit information

Access
Open to public
Last verified
15 Apr 2026
Access note
Free access. Open year-round.
Opening times
Open daily from dawn to dusk. Visitor centre with seasonal hours.

Redwood species here

Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)

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.

Post-1948 planting, now well established. Deciduous — look for autumn colour.

Several park specimens

About this place

About Bute Park

Bute Park is located in Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales.

Species Present

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.

Information
Created: 15/04/2026 Last updated: 15/04/2026