Westonbirt Arboretum

Westonbirt Arboretum is a large collection of trees and shrubs in Gloucestershire, about five kilometres southwest of Tetbury. It covers roughly 240 hectares and holds 2,500 species from around the world. The site has two main parts: the Old Arboretum, laid out in the 19th century, and Silk Wood, a working woodland that has been managed since the 13th century. The arboretum sits beside the Highgrove Estate, home of Charles III. It was begun in 1829 by Robert Stayner Holford and later extended by his son George Lindsay Holford. The arboretum’s trees include 79 ‘champion’ specimens, the tallest or largest of their kind in Britain. Each tree carries a blue label when it holds this record. Coppicing is still practised on parts of the site, keeping ancient green-wood skills alive and producing charcoal. Forestry England manages the arboretum, supported by the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum charity. Events such as Treefest each August and Enchanted Christmas in December draw visitors to enjoy the landscape after dark. Visitors walk 27 kilometres of marked paths through avenues of rare conifers and broadleaf trees. The Old Arboretum offers formal vistas and exotic specimens from the 1850s. Silk Wood allows dogs and shows traditional woodland management. Labels on trunks help identify every plant, while coppice coups display hazel understorey beneath oak standards. The illuminated winter trail turns bare branches into a glowing display each Christmas.