Coates Wood

Coates Wood was opened to the public in August 1977, on land purchased from a neighbouring estate. It is named after Alfred Coates, a former head gardener at Wakehurst Place.

The original planting contained many fine conifers and significant hardwoods as well as the start of the southern beech collection, but great swathes of trees were flattened in the Great Storm of 1987.

No-one was prepared for the ferocity of this storm. At Coates Wood, the wind strength was actually increased by its funnelling up Bloomer's Valley. The old and solid shelter belts originally planted by Gerald Loder were simply knocked flat.

After weathering another severe storm in 1990, restoration work progressed well. Coates Wood is home to the superb National Collection of southern beech, or Nothofagus, from South America and Australasia, which grow well at Wakehurst.

The southern beeches, planted to represent a Southern Hemisphere temperate rainforest from Chile and Argentina, are in the western part of the wood. Among them, there is one very rare semi-mature specimen of Nothofagus glauca, which has attractive peeling, varicoloured bark, much like birches. A very beautiful tree, it is claimed to be the UK champion of its species - a significant member of the National Collection. There are some younger ones close by, all grown from seed collected in their native habitat, which is in only one remote valley in northern Chile.

Other specimens from New Zealand and Australia - mainly eucalyptus and broad-leaved evergreens - are planted in the eastern section. Interspersed among them are British native trees which have the dual purpose of quickly establishing new woodland in cleared and damaged areas, and providing additional shelter for the Southern Hemisphere collections.

Continue the tour

Back up to: Woodland Zone

Carry on to: Bloomers Valley