Orchard Project – December Newsletter

This National Lottery funded project aimed to highlight Bishopthorpe’s orchard heritage and create a new community orchard for the village on the edge of the sports field on Ferry Lane. The project was run by volunteers on behalf of Bishopthorpe Parish Council.

The funding for this project came to an end in October, and it was a fitting time to get the fruit trees planted in the new community orchard. 11 Scouts, and other helpers, planted out the trees on a lovely sunny afternoon. The orchard has been carefully cared for over the summer to get wildflowers established and weeds reduced. We hope the trees will thrive in their new home, and wildflowers will bloom next summer! Five more ‘bare root’ trees will be planted this winter. The list of varieties are: Apples: Belle de Boskoop, Lord Lambourne, Worcester Permain, Peasgood Nonsuch, Ribston Pippin, Flower of the Town, Ellison’s Orange, James Grieve, Discovery. Pears: Concorde, Beurre Hardy. Plums/gages: Victoria, Early Rivers, Gage Reine Claude de Bavay.

The project’s book, ‘Bishopthorpe in Blossom,’ is now on sale at Bishopthorpe library, Brunswick Organic Nursery and the Bishopthorpe archive in the village hall. It will also be available on loan from the library. The book includes photographs, interviews with local residents, information about local fruit varieties, and the fascinating history of the Archbishop’s walled kitchen garden.

We have been very lucky to have the assistance of experts from the Northern Fruit Group. In September, expert Anne Lee, visited the walled garden again and identified the varieties of the 8 veteran pear trees that still remain. They were once espaliers, trained against the warm south facing wall, and they are now tall trees: their blossom can be seen peeking over the top of the walls in spring. They include Souvenir du Congres, Calabas Bosc, Beurre d’Amanlis, Louise Bonne of Jersey, and Pitmaston Duchess. They still bear fruit, which would once have been considered a delicacy, grown for the Archbishop’s table.

Many kind people gave their labour and expert advice for free throughout the project. As a result, we had an underspend which we were able to add to our equipment budget. All of the project money was spent, and we purchased:

Apple juicing equipment, including an apple press for use at the Apple Pressing day. A smaller apple press for small scale events. Professional tools for fruit tree pruning, including a telescopic pruning saw/secateurs, loppers, and fruit picker. A wooden sign and interpretation panel for the community orchard. Metal tree tags for recording the variety of fruit. Magnifying glasses and ‘bug hunting’ jars for playgroup’s Forest Schools. Reference books about orchards and fruit varieties.

The books and the project reports will be kept in the reference section of the village library. The intention is for the smaller press and the tools to be made available on loan.

Thank you to everyone who helped with the project, whether it was sharing memories, giving time and expertise, allowing access to fruit trees and gardens, or participating in the community orchard and training events. You all made this project possible.

There will be a dedicated page on the Bishopthorpe Community website where we will provide information about the community orchard as it develops, and you can read the final newsletter here.

The project can still be contacted at bishorchard@yahoo.com.

http://www.bishopthorpe.net/bishnet/community-orchard/

With thanks from the Bishopthorpe Orchard Project Team

Orchard Project – October Newsletter

This is a Heritage Lottery funded project which aims to highlight Bishopthorpe’s orchard heritage and create a new community orchard for the village. The project runs from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019 and the grant award is £8,900. The project is being run by volunteers on behalf of the Parish Council.

This month the project is reaching its major milestones. The booklet “Bishopthorpe in Blossom” should be ready in time for the Apple Pressing day on 13 October. After that it will be available from the library, both on loan and for sale. Hours of research have revealed fascinating aspects of the history of fruit growing and market gardening in Bishopthorpe and the Archbishop’s walled garden, which has been brought together for the first time. For example, school log books from the 1800s record children regularly missing from school in summer to ‘pull fruit’ in the grounds and gardens around the village.

The community orchard site has been carefully tended over the summer to keep on top of the weeds and establish grasses and wildflowers. This month it will be planted up with fruit trees by the Bishopthorpe Scouts. Initially there will be 8 apples and 2 pears, with more to be added this winter, including plums and a gage.

We will be taking further samples of apples and pears to RHS Harlow Carr Apple Day for identification. There are a few varieties in Bishopthorpe which are very old, including the Hessle Pear, Balsam apple and Keswick Codlin apple. The Northern Fruit Group is interested in grafting some of these heritage varieties.

The funded part of the project finishes at the end of the month, but the project will continue with the help of volunteers. Thank you to everyone who has made the project a success! There will be a dedicated page on the Bishopthorpe Community website where we will provide information about the community orchard. We hope that you will enjoy the community orchard as it develops.

Orchard Project – September Newsletter

This is a Heritage Lottery funded project which aims to highlight Bishopthorpe’s orchard heritage and create a new community orchard for the village. The project runs from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019 and the grant award is £8,900. The project is being run by volunteers on behalf of the Parish Council.

Last month the project made a major purchase – an apple press for use at the annual village apple pressing event. Taking advice from the Otley Chevin orchard project, and looking at the presses they use, we decided on a traditional ‘rack and cloth screw press’. This is a large press which will be an attractive focal point for apple pressing and will enable the parish council to organise more than one event. We have also acquired a ‘scratter’ which grates the apples before they go into the press. Other purchases include a range of professional tools for pruning fruit trees, which can be loaned out to help with the management of old fruit trees in the village.

Work on the booklet ‘Bishopthorpe in Blossom’ has been completed and it goes to print this month. So much fascinating information has been uncovered about Bishopthorpe’s orchard heritage and we have had some lovely interviews with local residents and farmers. An amazing photograph has been discovered in the village archives showing the Bishopthorpe Palace walled garden, taken in 1949 from the top of St Andrews church tower. It shows the garden fully intact, with glasshouses and garden which extended well outside the current walls. Look out for this in the booklet, which will be available from the library in October!

We hope to take samples of apples to RHS Harlow Carr Apple Day in October for identification. If you have an old apple tree and are interested to know what variety it is, please get in touch and we may be able to include it.

The funded part of the project draws to a close next month with the planting of the trees in the community orchard. We would like to thank the many people who have helped make the project a success, in particular Linda Haywood (village archivist), Brunswick Organic Nursery, 1st Bishopthorpe Scouts, Bishopthorpe Playgroup, Ainsty Lawncare and Landscapes, Natural England, and the many local residents who have turned out to help at the community orchard site.

To contact the project please email bishorchard@yahoo.com or phone 07563 798408.

Orchard Project – July Newsletter

This is a Heritage Lottery funded project which aims to highlight Bishopthorpe’s orchard heritage and create a new community orchard for the village. The project runs from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019 and the grant award is £8,900. The project is being run by volunteers on behalf of the Parish Council.

We are now two-thirds of the way through the live phase of the project and are making great progress. Whilst we wait until autumn to plant the trees in the new orchard, we have been exploring the history of orchards in the village. The old maps reveal that a staggering proportion of ‘old’ Bishopthorpe was cultivated as orchards and market gardens. Comparing the maps from the mid-19th century to the present day shows just how many of these were built on during the 20th century. You may assume that the fruit trees were bull-dozed, but the reality might be far less severe. In several places we think that the builders left many of the original fruit trees untouched and many are still growing in gardens! Pear trees in particular, can live well over 100 years! If you live on Sim Balk Lane, Church Lane, Main Street, Copmanthorpe Lane, The Coppice or any of the adjoining streets, and have an old-looking fruit tree in your garden, then please get in touch with the project – your tree might be a remnant of an old orchard thought to be lost!

One area which we would love to know more about is the area previously known as ‘Moor Close’ on Copmanthorpe Lane, where The Coppice is today. A house called ‘Prospect House’ on the old maps was built there in the 1800s and the land was cultivated for many years as a market garden with fruit trees. Does anyone remember this part of the village before The Coppice housing estate was built on it in the 1960s?? It would be really interesting to know whether any fruit trees still existed at that time, or even remain in peoples’ gardens.

We would also love more information about the Archbishop’s walled garden on Bishopthorpe Road on the edge of the village. This spring we were fortunate to be allowed to visit, accompanied by gardeners from Brunswick Organic Nursery who keep it well tended. In its heyday the walled garden was the pride and joy of several Archbishops, supplying their households with abundant produce. It dates from about 1767 and has a long history of fruit growing; the old walls are pockmarked with nails from training espaliers. Several very old pear and plum trees are still present (from the outside you can see their blossom sticking up over the walls) and the tradition of fruit growing is in good hands, with over 50 fruit trees still present. Our research has revealed an account of a visit in 1827 by a German Prince. Archbishop Vernon Harcourt personally escorted him around the walled garden and the prince wrote a vivid account describing its magnificence, including mention of pineapples and grenadillas growing in the hot houses! There used to be some very grand glass houses on the south facing wall and an avenue of plum trees in what is now the farmer’s field. These should have been clearly visible from Church Lane. Although we know that they were in decline by the 1940’s, we have no idea when the glass houses were demolished. Does anyone have any information? Or even better a photo (no harm in asking!!).

Finally, of all the memories and stories that residents have shared with us, we are surprised that no one has owned up to scrumping from any of the local orchards!! We would love to hear these kinds of stories from your childhood. Please get in touch with any little detail for any of the above. Local history is the compilation of little details!

If any of the information above has piqued your interest, we are writing a booklet to describe the orchard heritage of Bishopthorpe. Keep an eye open for it in October!

To contact the project please email bishorchard@yahoo.com or phone 07563 798408.

A Mountfield petrol mower was left near the orchard site in April. If this was donated to the project, then thank you to whoever left it. If not, then please get in touch as we are keeping it safe!

Orchard Project – May/June Updates and Newsletter

Bishopthorpe Community Orchard and Heritage project

This is a Heritage Lottery funded project which aims to highlight Bishopthorpe’s orchard heritage and create a new community orchard for the village. The project runs from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019 and the grant award is £8,900. The project is being run by volunteers on behalf of the Parish Council.

The community orchard site, on the edge of Ferry Lane playing field, has now changed beyond recognition!

It has been fenced and carefully prepared with the help of many keen volunteers and with guidance from Jonathon Short of Ainsty Landscapes, and has been sown with a mix of native perennial wildflowers and grass seed. It is very difficult to create a wildflower meadow, as wildflowers quickly get overtaken by grasses on fertile soils. But we are hoping a few wildflowers will grow: species like knapweed, ox eye daisy, yarrow, common cat’s ear, self-heal, red clover and vetch, which are a bit more robust. Yellow rattle will also help keep the grasses in check. In the first year we are not expecting any to flower, as the site will need to be cut regularly to keep on top of the flush of weeds – in particular Himalayan balsam which is abundant on this site. Himalayan balsam is actually not too difficult to get rid of as it is an annual species and seeds only survive for about 3 years in the soil. Last year it was hand pulled before it seeded, so only 2 years to go!

The orchard is big enough to fit in about 16 ‘half standard’ fruit trees, which will eventually grow to a height of about 4 metres. The Heritage Lottery grant requires 10 trees to be planted by the end of October, when the project ends. This is not great timing for planting fruit trees which are supplied as ‘bare root’. However, we have found a way round it by buying 1-year old trees this winter from Roger’s Nursery in Pickering and potting them up. They will be looked after by Brunswick Organic Nursery over the summer.

There has been a lot of interest in the varieties of old fruit trees found in the village, and we are keen for the new trees to reflect that (as well as be tasty to eat!). The varieties we have bought are:

Apples:

  • Ellison’s Orange
  • Lord Lambourne
  • Peasgood Nonsuch
  • Belle de Boskoop
  • James Grieve
  • Worcester Permain
  • Discovery
  • Katy

Pears:

  • Beurre Hardy
  • Concorde

This leaves scope for about 6 more, which may well include some plums. This time next year the first blossom should be showing!

For more information about the project, including the newsletter and forthcoming events, please visit www.bishopthorpe.net. To contact the project please email bishorchard@yahoo.com or phone 07563 798408.

You can read the June Newsletter here

 

Orchard Project – April Newsletter

Bishopthorpe Community Orchard and Heritage project

This is a Heritage Lottery funded project which aims to highlight Bishopthorpe’s orchard heritage and create a new community orchard for the village. The project runs from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019.

If you have been to Ferry Lane playing field recently you may have noticed that a lot has changed on the community orchard site in the last few weeks! Following the successful litter picking and bramble cutting event at the end of January, Jonathan Short (Ainsty Landscapes) has very kindly dug the site over and rotovated it. Thank you to all the volunteers who came to our second community event and pulled out wheel barrow loads of bramble and nettle roots which had carpeted the area.  This summer it will be essential to keep on top of the weeds by regular cutting.  If you are able to help with this, especially if you have a ride-on mower, we would love to hear from you.

So much progress has been made, that BBC Radio York heard about the project and featured it as one of their secret locations on ‘Finders Keepers’ on Saturday 2nd March. If you missed the programme, it may still be available on the BBC website. It was clue number 4.

Fruit tree experts, Tony Chalcraft and Jane Thurlow, have now held 2 training events on fruit tree pruning in gardens in the village.  Both events were very popular and took place in contrasting conditions: the first in warm sunshine, the second in rain!  We had a go at tackling some old apple trees which had not been pruned for many years. Tony and Jane advised to first cut out the dead and diseased wood, then rubbing branches, and then branches crossing the middle of the tree.  The ultimate aim is an open centre to the tree which ‘a robin could fly through.’ There was much discussion, and although some pruning was done, they advised not doing too much in one year because of the risk of ‘shocking the tree’.  I think we can all say that, with our newly trained eyes, we now look at fruit trees in a different way! No more pruning events are planned, but if there is enough demand, we may be able to run another event in Bishopthorpe next winter.

Our research into the history of orchards in the village is continuing, and if you have any photos or memories of orchards from the ‘old days’ please do get in touch. We would also like to hear about the locations of any old fruit trees in the village.

For more information about the project, including the newsletter and forthcoming events, use the ‘orchard’ tag on www.bishopthorpe.net.  To contact the project please email bishorchard@yahoo.com or phone 07563 798408.

Orchard Project – March Newsletter

Bishopthorpe Community Orchard and Heritage project

This is a Heritage Lottery funded project which aims to highlight Bishopthorpe’s orchard heritage and create a new community orchard for the village. The project runs from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019.

At the end of January we made a big step forward in our plans to create a Community Orchard on derelict land on the edge of the Ferry Lane playing field. Over 40 people came along on a Saturday afternoon to help, over half of whom were children.  Particular thanks go to the 1st Bishopthorpe Scouts, White Rose Football Club and their families who all worked so hard.  We filled a skip with all the rubbish and made a big pile of rusty metal which went for recycling.  A huge metal goal post, which had lain embedded in the ground for many years, was pulled out in a real team effort! There was so much enthusiasm for the task, that all the brambles were cleared too, which means we don’t need to pay for a tractor and flail!  The next stage is to get the site levelled and reseeded with grasses and wildflowers this spring.

There is one more fruit tree pruning training event coming up on Sunday 3 March, 2pm to 4pm, led by fruit tree experts, Tony Chalcraft and Jane Thurlow. This will be held in a garden on Copmanthorpe Lane. There will be a brief indoor session followed by a demonstration of the basics of pruning, with the opportunity to have a go yourself. The event is free but booking is required as numbers are limited.

For more information about the project, including the newsletter and forthcoming events, use the ‘orchard’ tag on www.bishopthorpe.net.  To contact the project please email bishorchard@yahoo.com or phone 07563 798408.

Orchard Project – February Newsletter

Bishopthorpe Community Orchard and Heritage project

This is a Heritage Lottery funded project which aims to highlight Bishopthorpe’s orchard heritage and create a new community orchard for the village. The project runs from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019.

Have you ever wondered how to prune your fruit tree, but are worried about getting it wrong? Pruning helps improve tree health and promote better fruit production, but it can be daunting knowing where to start! Fruit tree experts, Tony Chalcraft and Jane Thurlow are here to help. They are running 2 practical training events in Bishopthorpe, the first in the Vicarage garden and the second in a garden on Copmanthorpe Lane. There will be a brief indoor session followed by a demonstration of the basics of pruning, with the opportunity to have a go yourself. These are sure to be informative and enjoyable events.  The events are free but booking is required as numbers are limited. The dates are: Saturday 16 February, 2pm to 4pm and Sunday 3 March, 2pm to 4pm (weather permitting).

Many thanks to all the volunteers who are helping clear rubbish from the new community orchard site on the edge of Ferry Lane playing field. The area is due to be cut with a tractor and flail in February. The work will be done before the bird nesting season starts, and a check will be made for any hibernating hedgehogs.

For more information about the project, including the newsletter and forthcoming events, use the ‘orchard’ tag on www.bishopthorpe.net.  To contact the project please email bishorchard@yahoo.com or phone 07563 798408.

Orchard Project – January Newsletter

Bishopthorpe Community Orchard and Heritage project

This is a Heritage Lottery funded project which aims to highlight Bishopthorpe’s orchard heritage and create a new community orchard for the village. The project runs from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019.

At the end of November, Tony Chalcraft and Jane Thurlow, York fruit tree experts, gave a very informative and well attended talk at Vernon House called ‘Know and Love your Fruit trees.’ We learnt that pruning is not essential but is good for increasing fruit production and reducing disease. We heard that the aim is a ‘goblet’ shape to the tree, and ‘lop and top’ should be avoided! We also had the opportunity to sample some delicious varieties of apples. For anyone who wants to learn how to prune their own trees, Tony and Jane will be running 2 hour practical training events in Bishopthorpe in February/March.

In January we are turning our attention to the proposed community orchard site on the edge of Ferry Lane playing field. The area is overgrown and rubbish needs removing before the brambles can be cut with a tractor and flail. We are holding a litter picking event there on Saturday 26 January from 2pm to 4pm. We have been promised help from Bishopthorpe Scouts and the White Rose Football Club, and additional adults and children will be welcome.  We will have litter pickers, bags, and a skip to fill. Just remember to bring gloves and stout shoes! If we have enough volunteers we can litter pick around the playing field, and clear the woodland of rubbish too!

Fruit tree surveys are continuing throughout the year so please let us know of any trees you would like us to survey.  We are particularly interested to know if any old fruit trees remain in The Coppice and The Orchard.

For more information about the project, including the newsletter and forthcoming events, use the ‘orchard’ tag on www.bishopthorpe.net.  To contact the project please email bishorchard@yahoo.com or phone 07563 798408.

Fruit Tree Pruning

Saturday 16 February, 2pm to 4pm (Church Lane) and Sunday 3 March, 2pm to 4pm (Copmanthorpe Lane)

Fruit tree experts Tony Chalcraft and Jane Thurlow will be leading these events in support of the Community Orchard project. Come along and find out how to improve the health and productivity of your fruit trees.

At each event there will be a brief indoor session followed by a demonstration of the basics of pruning, with the opportunity to have a go yourself. The events are free but please book as numbers are limited.

See the event poster for full details : Tree Pruning Event Poster

Orchard Project : Site Cleanup Starts

On Saturday 26 January we made a big step forward in our plans to create the Community Orchard.
Over 40 people came along to help clear up the derelict land on the edge of the Ferry Lane playing field. Over half of them were children, including twelve Bishopthorpe Scouts. There was so much enthusiasm for the task that all the brambles were cleared too, which means we don’t need to pay for a tractor and flail.
Fantastic effort!

Before:
The Orchard site before we started work
During:
Volunteers hard at work
After:
What a difference!
Rubbish:
This is what we removed.

 

Bishopthorpe Community Orchard and Heritage Project

A derelict piece of land on the edge of Ferry Lane is to be transformed into a community orchard for everyone to enjoy.

Bishopthorpe Parish Council has secured Heritage Lottery funding for this project, which is being run by local volunteers, but the project needs extra help from villagers to make it happen.

The project team has produced the first in a series of newsletters, which you can download here:  Newsletter 01_Nov 2018

The newsletter gives more information about the project, and suggests ways people can get involved and help it all come to fruition. As well as hoping for some practical help, the team are also keen to hear from people with memories of the old orchards and market gardens of Bishopthorpe, and from anyone with old fruit trees that might turn out to have an interesting history.

You can contact the project team by email to bishorchard@yahoo.com or phone Morwenna Christian on 07563 798408.

A series of events are planned to push the project forward, the first of these is Ask the Experts at Vernon House on Monday 26th November. You can view the flyer for this event here : Nov 26th event poster

More news will be published as the project moves on, so remember to check back here for all the details.

All items will be on the News pages, tagged with Orchard so you’ll be able to find related pages quickly.