Featuring giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. These two, in Ashleigh Court, Station Lane, may not be the finest examples of Giant Redwood, but they are a little unusual in their location. As can be seen from the picture, they are nestled in front of a block of flats. Obviously, the trees pre-date the buildings which surround them so cosily, so it is interesting to consider what their surroundings were many decades ago. A large house and grounds perhaps? Or maybe a public building which an imaginative employee or official fronted with these then novel wonders of nature. If you have the answer, we would love to hear from you . Thanks to Mike who provided us with this information: "I blundered into your site by accident as I was looking for information about Ingatestone Station. I was amazed to see the details of the two big trees that I look at every day from my bedroom window! My house, in The Paddocks, backs on to Ashleigh Court. There used to be a third redwood in Ashleigh Court but it suffered badly in the storm of 1987 and was subsequently felled. I had two very aged trees in my garden, but one started to die back severely and was felled about four years ago. The remaining tree is not as grand as the fellows you have pictured but is very similar. There used to be quite a line of assorted redwoods and conifers following the line of the railway wall. I suspect they were planted after the Great Eastern Railway was built in the 1840's as a separation between the orchards and the railway. The orchards were sold for housing development in the late 1950's These trees are now in private gardens, but age is against them and a fair number have gone in the 25 years I have lived here. "
Visit information
- Access
- Access unknown
- Last verified
- 10 Apr 2026
- Official site
- redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/ingatestone.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
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
About this place
About Ingatestone - Ashleigh Court
Ingatestone - Ashleigh Court is located in Ingatestone, 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.