Tree

Kensington Town Hall - Churchill

Erection date: 1967

Inscription

Sequoiadendron giganteum - a giant amongst trees in memory of a giant amongst men, the right honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG OM CH FRS.

The Sequoiadendron giganteum, otherwise known as the Giant Redwood, was discovered by Europeans in California in 1833. More pictures at Redwood World (where they have found Redwoods at 12 sites in London).

The 'inscription' is on the steel upright encircling the tree and forming a back rest to the brick seat. The tree was planted by Baroness Churchill in 1967.

2020: However, via Facebook, Roger James Morgan, said: "No it wasn't - the one she planted died. I was there." Roger must mean that he was there for the tree planting and afterwards saw that the tree had died, not that he was there at the moment the tree died. Which raises an existential question - is there a moment at which a tree dies?

Site: Kensington Town Hall - Royal Golden Wedding & Churchill (2 memorials)

W8, Hornton Street

Kensington and Chelsea Civic Centre by Sir Basil Spence was constructed in 1972-6 on open land on which the existing trees were preserved. RBKC's virtual museum has an image of the land before construction began, showing a few trees but we think it was taken before the Redwood was planted.

This Town Hall replaced the old Kensington Town Hall which was on the High Street and which we discuss (you may think, oddly) on our page for Chelsea Old Town Hall.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Kensington Town Hall - Churchill

Subjects commemorated i

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister 1940 - 45 and 1951 - 55. Born Blenheim Palace, near Woodstock,...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Kensington Town Hall - Churchill

Created by i

Lady Spencer-Churchill

Clementine, married Winston Churchill in 1908. Born 75 Grosvenor Street as C...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Kensington Town Hall - Churchill

Also at this site i

Kensington Town Hall - Royal Golden Wedding

Kensington Town Hall - Royal Golden Wedding

Surprisingly this is, so far, the only memorial to the royal Golden Wedding t...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

WC1, Gray's Inn Square

The unusual plaque is laid into the ground in front of the tree.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Hiroshima tree - Furnivall Gardens

Hiroshima tree - Furnivall Gardens

W6, Furnivall Gardens

This tree is a memorial to the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

1 subject commemorated
Lord Porchester tree

Lord Porchester tree

E8, Mare Street, Hackney Town Hall

It would have helped if the plaque had said what the tree was commemorating.

1 subject commemorated
Rick Hunter

Rick Hunter

N16, Northwold Road

On a re-visit, 10 years later in 2021, the plaque had been firmly screwed to its backing panel and that panel together with its stake was...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Mustoe & Gilluley

Mustoe & Gilluley

WC1, Wilmington Square Garden

By researching these women Andrew Behan has answered the question of what was the relationship between them. Ingrid was the daughter of U...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator