Featuring coast redwood and dawn redwood. Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. The Colchester Medical Society celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2024. It is the oldest provincial medical society in the country. Their emblem is the Rhino - selected for its thick skin. They wanted to plant two trees in Colchester to mark the occasion and because Redwoods are thought to have the thickest bark, they decided it was appropriate to choose these trees. I was pleased to donate the Coast and Dawn Redwood which they had planted at Colchester cemetery in October 2024 with the help of the council employees. The latter did a superb job with the planting after having had a epic struggle getting them out of their pots. A saw had to be taken to the pots as can be seen in the photograph of the Coast Redwood. The weather on the morning of the tree planting event was calm and sunny so they couldn't have chosen a better day for the ceremony. A friendly, cheerful atmosphere, great weather and Redwood trees - what more could one ask for!
Visit information
- Access
- Open to public
- Last verified
- 10 Apr 2026
- Official site
- redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/colchester12.htm
Redwood species here
Native to the fog belt of coastal California and Oregon, coast redwoods are the tallest trees on Earth. In Britain they thrive where rainfall, humidity, and sheltered woodland conditions echo their native range, forming narrow, soaring avenues and groves with reddish fibrous bark and flat fern-like foliage.
Present. 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 impr
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
Field observations
Photos
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Redwood at Colchester - Cemetery
About this place
About Colchester - Cemetery
Colchester - Cemetery is located in Colchester, Essex, 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.