About Westonbirt, The National Arboretum

Holford Ride Westonbirt

Westonbirt, the National Arboretum

Westonbirt Arboretum is one of the most beautiful and important plant collections in the world. With 15,000 specimens, and 2,500 species of tree from all over the world, the arboretum plays a vital part in research and conservation, as well as being a stunningly beautiful place to visit and explore rare, interesting and beautiful plants from the furthest corners of the globe.

We play a vital part on the world stage with our work in global tree conservation.

Autumn Westonbirt

Our trees

Japanese Maple Leavers Acer Palmatum Westonbirt Generic

National collections

The trees we're safeguarding for future generations.

Champion Katsura Tree Westonbirt Arboretum Generic

Champion trees

Discover some of the tallest trees in the British Isles.

Leaves of Euonymus alatus Signature Trees Westonbirt

Signature trees

Trees that give the arboretum it's unique character.

Paulownia Kawakamii Rare trees Westonbirt Arboretum Generic

Threatened trees

Westonbirt holds around 100 threatened tree species

Quercus robur Native Trees Westonbirt Arboretum Generic

Native trees

Nearly all native British trees can be seen in Silk Wood.

A crisp winter morning highlights the frost on the ground. In the forefront bright red dogwood which looks like sticks of red fire in large clumps jolt out from the ground. Tall trees linger in the background. Some without leaves and some evergreens still bushy with green leaves.

Arboretum Explorer

Explore our collection with our interactive tree map.

Holly berries

What's looking good

Take a peek through the eyes of our Window on Westonbirt volunteers.

Woman walking through winter scene with hands in pockets looking up

Winter at Westonbirt

See the trees of Westonbirt in a new light this winter.

Our History

Created almost 200 years ago by Victorian horticulturalist Robert Holford, discover how one man's passion for plants created the world's most beautiful botanical collections.

westonbirt historic

Our research and projects

Chalara

Chalara ash dieback at Westonbirt

Our fight against pest and diseases.

A group of adults and young people stand in a line for a photo. The young people hold spades in their hands, they have been planting trees in the area around them.

Silk Wood Community Planting Project

Regenerating woodland with our local community.

propagation westonbirt

Quarantine House

To help us to safeguard our historic collection and plant new trees we have built a Quarantine House.

A wooden structure shaped like an armadillo shell made from long wooden laths and wooden shingles to create a Community Shelter

Community Shelter

We've built our new Community Shelter.

Westonbirt

Latest Blog

Keep up to date with all the latest news from Westonbirt Arboretum.

3 Recycling bins stand side by side. A shorter brown box asks for food waste, a taller light brown bin with a red lid says general waste and a same height light brown bin with a blue lid says Recyclable.

Sustainability

As one of the biggest visitor attractions, we have a carbon footprint we need to reduce, and we all need to play our part in being net zero by 2030.

Westonbirt summer

Our 10-Year Vision

Find out more about our future plans

A woman is holding Tree Spotters book in her hand leafing through the pages

Westonbirt Books

Books based on the trees and plants of Westonbirt Arboretum.

STIHL Westonbirt

Our STIHL partnership

We have a great partnership with STIHL who support our tree team by supplying tools and equipment. Take a look at STIHL’s encyclopedia of trees, which contains detailed information and photographs on the tree species most commonly grown in Middle and Southern Europe.

Partners

A father and son sit at a table with food in front of them. The father looks at his son who smiles back.

Westonbirt Restaurant

Enjoy delicious, freshly prepared hot and cold refreshments.

A mother and her 2 sons look at books in the Westonbirt shop.

Westonbirt Shop

Pick up a souvenir or tasty treat from our shop.

Westonbirt Woodworks

Westonbirt Woodworks

Find out what happens to Westonbirt's trees at the end of their life.

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Coppice

Learn more about this traditional method of woodland management.

Two children playing with large leaves in the forest

Learning with Nature

Learning programmes for pre-school children, EYFS and KS1 plus uniform group visits.

Our community

We work closely with local community groups to connect them to trees and improve their wellbeing.

Community Westonbirt

Volunteer Westonbirt

Volunteering at Westonbirt

Volunteer at Westonbirt Arboretum and become part of an extraordinary group of people. With roles in almost every department, from learning to the tree team, there’s something to suit everyone.