Tree: Kensington Town Hall - Churchill
Erection date: 1967
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.
