Featuring giant redwood / giant sequoia. Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. This young example of Wellingtonia sits in the front lawn of a house in Mill Lane, Danbury, and illustrates how to position such a tree for best effect. It is a reasonable distance from the house, and has been given plenty of space in which to grow. With no other trees close by to crowd it, it has developed well, with the classic shape of a Giant Redwood at this young age; a gradual and even pyramid, with moderately dense foliage. This one is well under a hundred years old, so is still quite young even by comparison to other examples in England. In such a favourable location the Giant Redwood will grow for the first few decades in a very neat conical shape with dense foliage reaching right down to the ground. The trunk will be largely hidden from view, and it will be a very attractive tree. As the decades roll by, it will begin to surge skyward, and lose its lower branches to reveal a beautiful, golden-brown trunk. Eventually, such a tree is likely to become something of a landmark, possibly visible for miles!
Visit information
- Access
- Access unknown
- Last verified
- 10 Apr 2026
- Official site
- redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/danbury2.htm
Redwood species here
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.
Present. 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
Field observations
Photos
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Redwood at Danbury - Mill Lane
About this place
About Danbury - Mill Lane
Danbury - Mill Lane is located in Danbury, 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.
Data sourced from Redwood World (redwoodworld.co.uk) and enriched by Redwood Finder.