Alistair Hardaker
Image: The world's tallest bedded Christmas tree at Cragside | © National Trust / Bec Hughes
National Trust’s Cragside in Northumberland dresses 44.7m sequoia in over 1,300 lights to achieve Guinness World Records title.
A giant redwood at the National Trust’s Cragside in Northumberland has been awarded the Guinness World Records title for the World’s Tallest Bedded Christmas Tree.
The 44.7m sequoia wellingtonia is decorated with over 1,300 lights and stands at more than twice the height of the Angel of the North. The tree is one of millions planted in the 1860s by the Armstrong family, the estate’s founders, with some now the tallest of their kind in the country.
Steve Howard, Visitor Operations Manager, said the tree had been a year in the planning.
“Last year we presented the UK’s Tallest Living Christmas Tree, and we kept wondering if we could go one giant leap further and secure a Guinness World Records title… and we made it!”
The installation required almost 800m of lights and took three people two days to complete using a cherry-picker capable of reaching 51m. Each bulb was checked and draped vertically to avoid placing excessive pressure on the tree, which has been part of the estate’s landscape for over 150 years.
“It’s been tough keeping this big secret quiet over the last few weeks, but we wanted to share our huge news while many people are putting up their own Christmas trees.”
The tree features two large purple bows to meet the essential criteria of having at least two traditional decorations. It was officially measured with witnesses present and signed off by a Guinness World Records adjudicator when dressed last month.
Howard added:“With the rooms in the house decked out in vibrant decorations, it felt only right to dress the tree in glorious technicolour as well, and we can’t wait to welcome visitors to experience the World’s Tallest Bedded Christmas Tree throughout the festive season.”
The tree will feature in BBC Two’s Christmas Treasures of the National Trust, which airs on Friday 19 December at 9pm and on iPlayer. The episode takes a behind-the-scenes look at festive preparations around the Cragside estate.
Christmas at Cragside runs until 4 January 2026.
