What is Britain's biggest spider?

There are a number of ways of defining 'large' with Spiders, for example the weight, body length and leg span.

The heaviest native UK spider is the Araneus quadratus, an orb weaving spider that is related to the common garden spider.

The longest legged UK spider is either Pholcus phalangioides, also known as the cellar spider, and Tegenaria duellica - the giant house spider. Both have been found with total leg spans in excess of 5 inches. The house spider is also the world's fastest spider!

The longest bodied UK spider is the raft spider, Dolomedes fimbriatus, where female specimens can reach nearly an inch in length.