Featuring giant redwood / giant sequoia. Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. The Giant Redwood nearest to the entrance of Sudbury cemetery may have been struck by lightning at some stage as it is rather short, but is still growing strong. As is often the way, other branches have taken a swerve upwards to compensate for the loss of the top. The second Giant Redwood is a lovely shape, with branches stretching down to the ground. Unfortunately it has a lot of creeper climbing up the trunk which is spoiling the overall look of the tree. When the photograph was taken as much as possible of the vine was removed, but sadly there was not time to finish the job and so the girth could not be measured. Thanks to Tim who sent us some interesting information about the broken tree, " This Wellingtonia suffered in 2001 during the severe gales that year. The tree as seen is after almost half the tree fell in these gales. I was living in the cemetery lodge (called Flint Lodge) at the time the top of the tree landed some six or eight feet from the house. The main cause was that the core of the tree was rotten my father who was a professional horticulturalist and keen arboriculturalist reckoned it had been struck by lightning and rotted from the ingress of water into the trunk as a result. The Vines exacerbated this situation depriving the tree of some sustenance. By the way, the noise when it fell was enough to waken the dead, but thankfully they slumbered on. " We hope this might act as a warning to others about removing that dreaded ivy! Not much can be done about the lightning and strong gales, of course, but glad to hear there were no casulties or damage to the house from the falling part of the tree. It must have been some sight but no doubt happened during the "dead" of night, as seems usual with these kind of events. (nb. Wherever there is a Giant Redwood, it will often be the tallest thing around and will take the full force of any lightning strike, so perhaps those living close by should really be grateful for this!)
Visit information
- Access
- Open to public
- Last verified
- 10 Apr 2026
- Official site
- redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/sudbury2.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 Sudbury Cemetery - Newton Road
About this place
About Sudbury Cemetery - Newton Road
Sudbury Cemetery - Newton Road is located in Sudbury Cemetery, 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.
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.