I always thought that there were too many
pictures of the flagpole in this gallery;
but now I'm glad that I took so many and posted them:
as it was laid to rest on 13 August 2007.

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From the Kew website:

The Flag Pole's History

The wooden pole was entered into the Guinness Book of Records in 1959 as the tallest in the world, at 225 feet (68.58m) in height.
Since then it has had to be shortened several times and metal flagpoles have for many years outstripped the height of wooden poles.

* It was the fourth to stand on this site at Kew.
* It measured 200 ft (61m).
* It was made from the trunk of a single Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), estimated at 370 years old.
* It weighed 37 tonnes when first cut but was reduced to 15 tonnes after shaping at Kew.
* The tree was presented by British Columbia
to commemorate the centenary of the province in 1958,
and the bicentenary of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1959.
* It came from Vancouver Island.