Visitors often ask us about the tree which stands outside the main house.  Giant Sequoias were introduced to Britain in 1853 and quickly became a status symbol in Victorian Britain, where they were planted at the entrances of grand houses and estates.  Heathermount was built in 1867, and we believe that the tree was planted at around this time, over 150 years ago.  Giant Sequoia's can live for over 3,000 years, so the tree is still relatively young and continuing to grow.

Here you can see the two teams from Saturn class describe how they calculated its height using scale factor and reveal its measurements.

They then used the formula for the circumference of a circle to calculate the diameter of the tree which can then be used to approximate its age.

We are very proud of our students and how they can use mathematical reasoning to solve more complex problems. This is supported by some excellent staff, with the group’s TA describing the calculation of the average measurements.

At approximately 32.66m tall the tree is over 18 times as tall as Lucas and 19 times as tall as Ciaran!