Featuring coast redwood. Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. Among the young trees that have been planted near the Treetop Walkway in Kew Gardens are a Giant and a Coast Redwood. The Giant Redwood stands near the base of the stairs and lift, growing beside a large fallen tree trunk, and is almost 4 metres high. The Coast Redwood is nearly 2.5 metres high and is leaning rather badly in January 2010, hopefully this will be straightened before it gets much taller. A nearby plaque states: " This is a coastal redwood ( Sequoia sempervirens ), the tallest living things on Earth. The biggest stretch 115m into the sky - can you imagine climbing six and a half times higher than Kew's Xstrata Treetop Walkway? " Coast Redwood
Visit information
- Access
- Open to public
- Last verified
- 10 Apr 2026
- Official site
- redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/richmond.htm
Redwood species here
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 Richmond - Kew Gardens
About this place
About Richmond - Kew Gardens
Richmond - Kew Gardens is located in Richmond, Surrey, 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.
Access
This location appears to be publicly accessible. Please check locally for current opening times and any admission charges.
Data sourced from Redwood World (redwoodworld.co.uk) and enriched by Redwood Finder.