Featuring giant redwood / giant sequoia. Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. It was well worth a visit to see these trees, thanks to Nick who wrote, " I thought you might like to know about some Giant Redwood trees near Ipswich in Suffolk. There are approximately 15 Sequiadendron Giganteum trees in an area of overgrown private woodland in the area of Porters Covert, near Nacton, Suffolk. These woods may have formed part of a large estate in bygone years but now look rather neglected. The trees are particularly spectacular as they are quite near the A12/A14 junction and are noticeable on the horizon compared with the much shorter native woodland around them. I imagine the woods are owned by the local farmer but I've no idea whether there are any preservation orders on the trees. I hope so. " We managed to measure eleven of these on a recent visit in 2011. Some of them are particularly tall but the noticable point about them was that the trunks were not of a correspondingly large girth. Perhaps this was due to the protection from the other trees growing close and shielding them from the wind as they grew. Although most of the trees were in fine condition, sadly a couple of the trees did not look particularly healthy, the trunks on these trees looked fine but their foliage was very sparse. Overall a great collection of Wellingtonia.
Visit information
- Access
- Access unknown
- Last verified
- 10 Apr 2026
- Official site
- redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/nacton.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 Nacton - Porter's Culvert
About this place
About Nacton - Porter's Culvert
Nacton - Porter's Culvert is located in Nacton, Suffolk, 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.