WHEN it comes to the world’s tallest Christmas tree, you might think it would be in one of the Nordic countries – but you’d be wrong.
In fact the world’s biggest living Christmas tree is right here in the UK.
In Northumberland on the National Trust Cragside Estate there is an enormous 147ft Christmas tree.
To put that into perspective, it’s around the size of a 14-storey building, or double the size of the Angel of the North.
It’s officially a Guinness World Record holder too, and this year it was awarded the title of being the ‘world’s tallest bedded Christmas tree’.
That means it’s still living rather than having been cut down.
To be counted as a Christmas tree, the fir has to be decorated as such, so on it there are 800metres of lights, which is 1,320 multi-coloured bulbs.
And for further decoration, there are two huge purple bows measuring in at 6ft each.
With the tree being so high, these were all placed using a cherry picker.
If you’re a fan of baubles, sadly this tree doesn’t have any – but that was due to health and safety concerns if there was bad weather.
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Posting the fact that its Christmas tree is now a Guinness World Record holder, the comments were flooded with support.
One wrote “Now that’s impressive! Congratulations” another added “Wow Beautiful! We love Cragside but this makes it even more special”.
The record for the tallest ever Christmas tree belongs to one put up in 1950 in Northgate Shopping Centre in Seattle in the United States.
Not bedded into the ground like the one in Cragside, the Douglas fir was a whopping 212ft tall.
The impressive Cragside tree sits on the National Trust Estate in Northumberland among the gardens.
Cragside is a pretty Victorian country estate and is famous for being the former home of inventor Lord William Armstrong.
Thanks to its owner, Cragside House is considered one of Britain’s ‘original smart homes‘.
It was the first house to be lit up by hydroelectricity – using man-made lakes to power generators for lights and phones.
Visitors can explore Cragside House and gardens during the Christmas period (November 29 to January 4, 2026) from £16.50 per adult, or £8.30 for children (ages 5-17).
Film fans will recognise Cragside after it appeared in a well-known movie franchise, Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom.
Cragside House served as the set location for Lockwood Manor, where heroes Owen (played by Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) attempt to stop a genetically engineered dinosaur from being sold at auction.
It wasn’t just the main house that appeared in the movie, Cragside Garden Cottage, found in the heart of the estate, was used as the backdrop for several scenes in the film.
The cosy cottage has three bedrooms and sleeps up to six.
It’s still available for a December booking – a three-night stay between December 8 and 11, 2025 starts from £909, which is £50.50pppn.
Next door is Cragside Park Cottage which has the same rates but a different style of decor inside.
A stay in either gets you free access to the Cragside gardens, house and woodlands.
For more on Christmas, one travel writer discovered a fairytale city that looks like it’s from a Disney movie with cosy Christmas markets and hot chocolate by the pint.
Plus, the UK Christmas market named one of Europe’s best – with over 100 stalls, live bands and a singing festive moose.