Orchards, Trees & Orchard ProduceLondon & Middlesex information
Orchards, Trees & Orchard Produce
London & Middlesex information
Hertfordshire Orchard Initiative with the Hertfordshire Biological Records Centre is holding a survey of existing traditional orchards in the county and is helping their conservation, the result of which are still to be fully analysed. They have produced a pack called 'Hertfordshire Orchards, A Guide to Their History, Conservation and Management'. There are information sheets on: The history of Hertfordshire's Orchards, The Elusive Hitchin Apple, The Restoration of Neglected Orchards, Planning & Planting a New Orchard, Aftercare, Community Orchards in Hertfordshire, Using Your Fruit, Pests & Diseases, Orchards & Wildlife, and a reading list. Contact David Curry, 52 High Oaks, St Albans, Herts AL3 6DN +44 (0) 1727 833114.
Orchards and Community Orchards to visit
Blondin Community Orchard, Ealing is on a fifth of a 2-hectare allotment that has been owned by the London Borough of Ealing since 1926. Before that it was part of a local family farm estate and from 1750-1834 formed part of the Brentford Nursery, which specialised in fruit trees and held more than 300 apple varieties. The whole area is named after the Frenchman Charles Blondin, Niagara Falls tightrope walker, who settled here upon retirement (right, with his manager on his back!) His feats (and a couple of apple varieties) are celebrated in local road names. More than 150 people expressed opinions, and the consensus was for a Community Orchard within a nature area.
The council’s aims were: ‘to bring a redundant allotment back into active and sustainable community use; to develop the area’s interest for wild life; to establish a successful Community Orchard with good fruit production; and to develop the area through ongoing consultation with local people’. The orchard was planted in 1997 to commemorate the centenary of Blondin’s death. Fifty local people helped to plant 46 apple trees. Local residents have carried out weeding and mulching within the area of the tree guards. A management plan was completed with help from the London Ecology Unit. Contact: London Borough of Ealing, Nature Conservation Team, Perceval House, 14/16 Uxbridge Road, London, W5 2HL, +44(0)20 87401855.
Butterfield Green Community Orchard (left, photo with permission from Maggie Chattaway), Butterfield Green, Stoke Newington, Hackney. A small orchard of 34 half-standard fruit trees planted in 2007 in an area of public open space between a main road and park. It has a public footpath running through and gates at each end and high walls separate it from surrounding housing. The orchard has been established by The Orchard Group, a sub-group of the Shakespeare Residents’ Association, together with Hackney Parks manager and a local social enterprise business called Growing Communities dedicated to growing food in urban areas. The 24 trees are apple, plum, cherry, pear, peach, quince, medlar and hazel nut. The fruit is free to local people, with any extra bought by Growing Communities for their fruit box scheme. The grass has been sown with wildflower seeds, which flowered well in 2007 and more sowing is planned for 2008. Each tree has been adopted by local residents, and the Orchard Group carry out most of the orchard’s maintenance. There have been tree and orchard care events including ground preparation, planting, mulching, pruning and grafting demonstrations, school events and bird and bat watching. An Apple Day was held in 2006 to discuss the idea of a Community Orchard, and in 2007 to celebrate the new orchard and make further plans. Also a stand giving information about the project was taken at Stoke Newington Farmers’ Market Apple Day in 2007. A grant has been awarded by Groundwork East London to commission locally made benches of recycled British hardwood. The orchard is proving popular locally and has had a “bringing together” effect on the local community, involving all sorts of people “who have never been involved in growing things before”. Contact: Maggie Chattaway, maggiechattaway[at]aol.com or see www.shakespeareneighbourhood.org.uk
Chinbrook Community Orchard, Grove Park Allotments, Marvels Lane, next to Grove Park Cemetery, Lewisham. An orchard on 1ha of allotments planted in 1991 by the London Borough of Lewisham. Standard trees, mostly Kentish varieties of apple were chosen. Public access is limited as the allotments are locked and only plotholders hold keys. There were a number of years of neglect but the Ecological Regeneration Manager with the help of two volunteers has taken on maintenance of the orchard which will include pruning and planting. The grass is managed as a summer meadow and cut towards Autumn. Compost heaps, ponds, wood piles and mature hedging of hawthorn, blackthorn and climbing rose etc support wildlife including stag beetles, amphibians, invertebrates and lots of birds. Contact: Nick Pond, Ecological Regeneration Manager, London Borough of Lewisham, Wearside Service Centre, Wearside Road, Lewisham, London SE13 7EZ, +44(0)20 8314 2007, nick.pond[at]lewisham.gov.uk or see www.lewisham.gov.uk
Fenton House, a National Trust property, Windmill Hill, Hampstead, has a beautiful walled garden with a 300 year old orchard. Fenton House’s own orchards supply apples for the annual Apple Day, and Fenton House Honey is sold in the shop all year. Call +44(0)20 7435 3471 or see the National Trust web-site.
Green Peppers Orchard at Maiden Lane Community Centre, 156 St Paul's Crescent (off Agar Grove), Camden NW1 9XZ. A small mature orchard at Maiden Lane Community Centre in Camden was restored in 1999-2001 at work days involving local people. The work was made possible with grant of £1715 from the Rail Link Countryside Initiative (RLCI). A Garden Skills Course was set up and pruning workshops organised to bring the fruit trees back to life and more workshops are planned in the future to care for the orchard, create access paths and make it more valuable to wild life. The orchard is on a piece of land 9m x 23m separated from a railway line by a wall. There are apple, hawthorn and blackthorn trees and the sloes are used for making sloe gin. There are plans to identify the apple varieties. The land was used for York Way Railway Depot until 1956 and then various community projects until the estate was built in 1972. It is now owned by Maiden Lane Community Centre Association. There is an Apple Day each year, which also works as an open day for the centre, and there have been pruning and grafting demonstrations. The orchard is being reviewed as part of regeneration plans for the Maiden Lane Estate that may include a linked wild life corridor along the railway line. Access via the Community Centre. Contact: David Walters, Maiden Lane Community Centre, +44(0)20 7267 9586, davemlcc[at]yahoo.co.uk
High Elms Country Park Walled Garden, Farnborough has an acre of apples, perry pears, quince, cherry, medlar, crab apple and mulberry, planted in the 1990s. The country park is managed by the London Borough of Bromley.
Lambeth Walk Open Space Community Garden, Fitzwilliam Street, off Kennington Road, Lambeth SE11. An orchard of around ten half standard apple trees planted in 2003 and 2004 on an open space owned by Lambeth Council next to Roots and Shoots environmental learning centre in Lambeth. The Cellini apple, developed in Vauxhall, and Storey’s Seedling from London were chosen for their local provenance. There have been problems with some of the trees being ring-barked perhaps by mice, and these will be replaced. Part of the open space in which the orchard stands is mown by council employees but a section is cut by hand in Autumn as a meadow by Roots and Shoots. Presence of bees, butterflies and moths is being monitored. There are solitary bees and parasitic wasps, the Six Spot Burnet Moth colony is expanding and two grasshopper species have colonized from the Roots and Shoots garden next door. The fruit is picked by passers-by and as the crop increases, Roots and Shoots may use it for juicing and distribute and extra. Roots and Shoots already juice about 600 bottles each year, which are sold out by Christmas. Apple Day is held each year, linked with the Lion’s Part Theatre Company’s October Plenty event – children help to create the Corne Queen for the October Plenty procession. In 2007 there was a display of eighty apple varieties, a lecture and film about the orchard. Contact: David Perkins, Roots and Shoots, Walnut Tree Walk, Lambeth SE11 6DN, +44(0)20 7582 1800, david[at]rootsandshoots.org.uk or see www.rootsandshoots.org.uk
LEAF Community Orchard, Camberwell. Part of a community garden created with the help of Green Adventure this small orchard with apple, pear, plums and 2 cherry trees as well as soft fruit. It is managed organically with regular fortnightly workdays.
Marks Gate Community Orchard, Barking & Dagenham is the last remnant of the orchards of the Padnall Hall Estate. 14 trees stand next to the lake at Marks Gate with access off the A12 Eastern Avenue trunk road. In recent years local varieties of apples, pears and plum trees have been planted under Countryside Stewardship. Local people can pick and collect fruit.
Melbourne Grove Urban Orchard (left, photo with permission from Cllr Robin Crookshank Hilton), Dulwich. In an area of Dulwich that has suffered from antisocial behaviour problems, a little urban orchard was planted in December 2006 on a corner of a housing estate as part of a sustainable community garden project initiated by ward councilor Robin Crookshank Hilton. The project was funded by a Cleaner, Greener, Safer grant from the Dulwich Community Council. The orchard has a piazza of Cornish granite. The area was once an eyesore and used for dog fowling so the idea developed from planting flowering trees to creating an orchard. Varieties include Cox, Granny Smith, Bramley, Golden Delicious, Limoncello, Elstar, and Jonagold plus two Japanese Yosheno cherries. An inaugural Apple Day was held in 2007. Contact: Cllr Robin Crookshank Hilton on +44(0)20 8613 6046.
The Nubian Life Resources Centre, Commonwealth Avenue, White City planted an orchard of 48 trees in 2002 with apples, pears, plums, damons and gages. The Nubian Life Resources Centre’s work is about reasserting the dignity of African and African Caribbean Elders by providing for their health, psychological and cultural needs. They hope the orchard can be used to get different age groups together, inviting local schools to join in producing jams from the fruit which will be sold to make the project sustainable. Contact the Centre on +44(0)20 8749 8017.
Stave Hill Ecology Park, Rotherhithe has an orchard planted in 1992 by local school children and including 30 trees, apple, pear, cherry, crab apple, greengage and plum as well as soft fruit. Local varieties were planted where possible.
Where to buy apples and orchard produce
Fenton House, a National Trust property, Windmill Hill, Hampstead, +44(0) 20 7435 3471 sell honey from hives in their 300 year old walled orchard. Their own apples are sold at their Apple Day every year. See above for a link to their website.
For more information about orchard produce including apples, plums, cobnuts, elderberries etc at London’s Farmer’s Markets see web-site.
Trees can be purchased from the East of England Apples and Orchards Project. Contact: treesales [at] applesandorchards. org. uk or call +44(0)1328 701095 for a catalogue of 170 varieties local to the East of England.
Aylett Nurseries, London Colney, St Albans +44(0)1727 822255 have around 30 varieties of apple plus plums, pears, cherries. See their web-site.
Ken Muir, Honeypot Farm, Rectory Rd, Weeley Heath, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, +44(0)870 7479111 has around 70 varieties of apple, pear, plum, cherries, quince, medlar and nuts.
