Located approximately 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Tetbury, Gloucestershire, Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is a picturesque arboretum managed by Forestry England. It forms part of the Westonbirt House estate established during the height of Victorian plant hunting in the mid-19th century. The arboretum is listed as Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest making it a must-visit destination for nature lovers, historians, and anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Westonbirt Arboretum has a rich history dating back to the 13th century. Evidence of coppicing at the site dates back to 1292, while the first use of the name “Weston Birt” was recorded in 1309. The name was derived from “Weston”, a settlement located west of Bowldown Road, and “Birt”, the family name of the then lords of the manor, the Bret family.
The arboretum’s story truly began with Robert Stayner Holford (1808-92), a wealthy Victorian landowner whose ambitious project included rebuilding Westonbirt House, now Westonbirt Schools, and creating formal pleasure gardens, including the picturesque arboretum.
During the Victorian era, the plant world was exploding with new and exotic species, thanks to plant hunters like David Douglas (1799-1834), who travelled the globe, bringing back rare and beautiful plants from the farthest reaches of the British Empire. Holford financed plant-collecting expeditions to find the rarest and most extraordinary plants, many of which can still be found in the arboretum today.
Rather than arranging the plants by species or native geographic location, Holford planted his arboretum aesthetically, following the Picturesque movement that was popular in the art world. Westonbirt Arboretum is a display of Holford’s aesthetic vision.
The Old Arboretum had been designed by 1855, which included the Main Drive, Specimen Avenue, and three main rides – Holford Ride, Morley Ride, and Jackson Avenue. Sir George Lindsay Holford (1860-1926) took over the arboretum’s development from his elderly father in the 1880s. George expanded the arboretum to Silk Wood, planting new species amidst the centuries-old woodland. He also created vast drives with wide verges and bays of ornamental trees and was responsible for the rhododendrons and maples that Westonbirt Arboretum is known for today.
Following George’s demise in 1926, his nephew, Edmund Parker, the fourth Earl of Morley (1877-1951), took over the arboretum’s ownership. In 1956, the Forestry Commission became the owner, and in 2019, Forestry England took over. Westonbirt House, which belonged to the Holford family, became a boarding school for girls in 1927.
Westonbirt Arboretum spans approximately 600 acres, comprising some 15,000 trees and shrubs, with 2,500 species of tree from all over the world. Its 17 miles of marked paths are popular with visitors, providing access to rare plants. The arboretum has two main areas to explore – The Old Arboretum and Silk Wood. The Old Arboretum offers beautiful vistas, stately avenues, and a host of rare and exotic trees from across the globe dating back to the 1850s. Silk Wood, on the other hand, is a very different experience. It also contains many exotic plants, but at its heart is a traditional working woodland, dating back to the 13th century. Each specimen tree throughout the arboretum is labelled either on the trunk or a low-hanging branch. Westonbirt’s “champion trees”, the tallest or largest of their kind in Britain, are labelled with blue tags.
The Japanese maple cultivars at Westonbirt Arboretum started in the early 1980s and now contain around 297 cultivars. Japanese maple is a deciduous woody plant indigenous to Korea, Japan, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. It is a small tree that can reach heights of 6 to 10 meters, rarely up to 16 meters, with a width of 4.5 to 10 meters. The leaves are palmately lobed with five, seven, or nine pointed lobes, and the flowers have five red or purple sepals and five whitish petals.
Since the 1870s, maples have been an integral part of the arboretum. During spring, their flowers bloom, and their young leaves explode in a range of colours. With between 100 and 200 species, most maples are native to Asia, but some are found in Europe, Northern Africa, and North America. The name of the genus “Acer” comes from a Latin word meaning “sharp,” which is attributed to the sharp points on maple leaves. This genus was first classified by Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656-1708), a French botanist, in 1700.
The Bladdernut genus comprises a small number of plants, including only 11 species and some cultivars. These plants exhibit beautiful white flowers in the spring, sometimes with a pinkish tint. The shrub also bears singular, bladder-like seed pods, which remain on the plant until the winter months.
Westonbirt Arboretum boasts a collection of over 40 different genera of lime trees. Their rarest specimen is the Chinese lime. In North America, these trees are commonly referred to as linden, while in Britain, they are called lime. The names have roots in the Germanic word lind. The English language has evolved from the original Germanic forms linde or linne, which were used in Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse. Over time, the term lime emerged as the modern form.
Lime species are deciduous trees that can grow quite large, typically between 20 and 40 meters tall. The goddess Freya was associated with the Lime tree by the Germanic tribes, who would often hold their assemblies near or under the tree. These assemblies were used to make laws and typically lasted three days.
There are several genera in the walnut family, such as walnuts, wingnuts, and hickories. Although the arboretum has approximately 25 different types of walnut trees, the most remarkable is the hybrid wingnut, which stands on the edge of the Downs in the Old Arboretum.
Juglans is the genus to which the walnut trees are found in the northern hemisphere, including regions stretching from Europe to the Himalayas and southwest China. In America, they are spread across various places, from Canada to Argentina. They can grow up to 10 to 40 meters (30 to 130 ft) in height and are often used for timber. The wood is very durable and has a dark colour, making it a popular choice for furniture.
Exploring Westonbirt Arboretum can take an entire day. Guided tours are available throughout the day, or visitors can explore at their own pace. A Tree Top Walkway provides a closer look at some of the many species of trees on offer. There are also activities for children, a cafe, a restaurant and a gift shop. Admission tickets cost £16 for adults, £12 for young people between 18 and 25, and £4 for children aged five and over.
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Hazel Stainer 
I haven’t been for many years but it’s a beautiful place.
I visited Westonbirt some years back and always hoped to revisit sometime but this is the nearest I have managed to get. Thank you Hazel for my guided tour!
This seems a place worthy of a visit but, as I am unlikely to get there in the near future, your description and choice of photos are the next best thing and certainly bring the place to life. Thank you for your detailed blog as usual.
Hazel can make anything interesting and with skilful use of photography and word mastery another blog masterpiece is produced. Thank you for all the extra facts you’ve obviously researched and adding colour to an already colourful piece of writing. Hazel, what a place to visit, you have made the prospect even more enticing.