A forest_park in Leighton, Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales featuring giant redwood / giant sequoia and coast redwood. Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. Thanks to Ilyan for allowing us to use his above photographs of Coast Redwoods in the Royal Forestry Society's Redwood Grove at Leighton, Montgomeryshire in Wales. We knew that Sequoia sempervirens can root quite easily, but when Iylan told us about " a fallen Sequoia turning into a row of trees " and sent the above pictures, we were amazed at the endurance of this tree. No matter that it had toppled, its branches had taken over to become trees themselves. Ilyan wrote, " This year I was invited to a gathering in North Wales and took a photo. It shows what could happen with a fallen Sequoia turning into a row of trees. It is on page 7 of "Woodland Heritage 2006" the magazine of an organisation for people who use timber as well as for those who grow trees. " Naylor purchased Coast Redwood and Wellingtonia seedlings in 1857 fromCalifornia and the forests of the Pacific north-west and planted them along the hillside. These now cover about 12 hectares and form part of the Charles Ackers grove. Charles Ackers gave the entire woodland to the Royal Forestry Society in 1958, having bought it from Captain J. Murray Naylor in 1931. He planted an additional redwood woodland and also started to lay out a pinetum to the north and east. This work which has been continued by the Royal Forestry Society The following set of photographs didn't come out quite as well as Ilyan's but I have included them as a matter of interest. Click on the small pictures to see the full size photographs.
Visit information
- Access
- Access unknown
- Last verified
- 10 Apr 2026
- Official site
- redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/leighton.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
Field observations
Photos
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Redwood at Leighton - Royal Forestry Society's Redwood Grove
About this place
About Leighton - Royal Forestry Society's Redwood Grove
Leighton - Royal Forestry Society's Redwood Grove is located in Leighton, Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales.
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.