Giant Sequoia Coast Redwood Dawn Redwood Access unknown

Mount Bures - Herd's Pasture

Mount Bures, Essex, England

Featuring giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. Near the entrance to Herd's Pasture is a large Coast Redwood. It's girth is possible the widest we have spotted so far in Essex, although precise measurements are not yet available.

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Access
Access unknown
Last verified
10 Apr 2026

Redwood species here

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 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

Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)

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 (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.

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

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  • Redwood at Mount Bures - Herd's Pasture

About this place

About Mount Bures - Herd's Pasture

Mount Bures - Herd's Pasture is located in Mount Bures, 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.

Information
Created: 09/04/2026 Last updated: 10/04/2026