Westonbirt Arboretum

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The Arboretum in autumn
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The Arboretum in autumn
A tree-lined avenue at Westonbirt
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A tree-lined avenue at Westonbirt
An autumn scene at the Arboretum, late October
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An autumn scene at the Arboretum, late October

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Westonbirt Arboretum is an arboretum near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England, perhaps the most important and widely known arboretum in the United Kingdom. An arboretum is a managed collection of trees, usually open to the public, used for education, pleasure and conservation.It is managed by the Forestry Commission, which also manages Bedgebury Pinetum. The arboretum was established in 1829 by Robert Holford, and was later extended by his son George Holford. It is close to the Holford family's mansion Westonbirt House, which is now a girls' boarding school, though it does not form the garden of the building, which is on the other side of a public road. After the death of George in 1926 ownership passed to his nephew the fourth Earl of Morley, and eventually to the Forestry Commission in 1956.

Westonbirt comprises some 18,000 trees and shrubs, over an area of approximately 600 acres (2.4 km²). Its 17 miles (27 km) of marked paths are popular with visitors, and provide access to a wide variety of rare plants.

[edit] Location

The arboretum is located at Ordnance Survey mapping six-figure grid reference ST 848898

[edit] External links

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