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Sharing Westonbirt's story 

The Westonbirt Project will greatly enhance the arboretum and provide sustainable new facilities, but how will these facilities tell our story?

How will visitors learn about the tree collection and conservation work undertaken at Westonbirt, the UK's National Arboretum, and how will we find new ways to include people in our woodland?

A more engaging welcome

The new Welcome Building will be the first place for visitors of all ages to gain a better understanding of the tree collection.

Exciting new interpretation will help visitors to discover more about the importance of our tree collection.

From the Welcome Building, visitors can venture along the Tree Walkway, travelling into the tree canopy and being able to touch, smell and see the tops of the trees close up.

Access all areas 

For the first time visitors will be invited to go behind the scenes in the Propagation Unit to explore our world-leading conservation and tree collection management projects.

Regularly changing interpretation and new media will share stories about exciting seed collection expeditions and show how the team protect and preserve the botanical collection.

Inspirational learning

We want to work with more people in novel and exciting ways. The new Education and Learning building will form an inspirational centre from which to run our new learning programmes.

Programmes will be developed to engage secondary students and vulnerable and excluded adults, and the centre will enable new partnership working with social and community groups. The extended grounds will link closely with our wood sales area to help tell the story of our sustainable management using timber grown on site.

2050 Glade

Some of Westonbirt's most famous trees, such as the Japanese Maples, are in danger from climate change. 

The 2050 Glade in the Old Arboretum will trial alternative trees and planting techniques which could be used at Westonbirt in the predicted warmer climate of the future.