National Tree Week: The Giant Redwood at Middleton Hall

During the tenancy of Hanbury Barclay at Middleton Hall the gardens of Middleton Hall embraced the Revised English Landscape Garden Style. His changes occurred about 1875, roughly 150 years ago. One feature of this Style was specimen trees. With certainty, it is known that three species of foreign trees had been introduced to the grounds of Middleton Hall as specimen trees before the end of the tenancy of Hanbury Barclay. This post focuses on the oldest of these three that were introduced, namely, the giant redwood, also known as the giant sequoia or Sequoiadendron giganteum.

The giant redwood is native to California, USA. It was first introduced to Britain in 1853 via seeds sent from America to two British botanists. This species can live for thousands of years and the oldest living giant redwood is over 3,000 years old! In its native habitat it is considered an endangered species.

In fact, three trees of this species were added to the grounds of Middleton Hall. One is found between Middleton Hall and the Coach House, in the exact location of where the west moat channel had once been. The second is in the field to the west of Middleton Hall, interestingly in the exact location of where the Georgian long pond once was. The final one was located just to the south-west of Middleton Hall. Giant redwoods need a very large amount of groundwater and by situating them in old water courses, this requirement was certainly adequately fulfilled at Middleton Hall and has enabled these trees to thrive.

Giant Redwood near the Coach House at Middleton Hall, 2015. Photograph taken by Jenny Jordan.

The giant redwoods at Middleton have been dated as being roughly 170 years old, still young for this tree! This would provide a date of mid-1850s, which means that they could just pre-date the tenancy of Hanbury Barclay. It is known with certainty that they were present by the end of Hanbury’s tenancy because all three of the giant redwoods are marked on the 1886 Ordnance Survey map. However, there is a challenge dating giant redwoods in Britain. There are now over 5,000 mature giant redwoods in Britain and these trees are thriving because climatic conditions present in this country are now much more suitable for them than their native habitat. This proves a challenge for dating because, in these very suitable conditions, they have been observed to be growing much faster than their normal growth rate.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

Please consider supporting Middleton Hall Trust by sending us a donation.