Did you know that pineapples used to be grown in Bishopthorpe? We take them for granted today, but this tropical fruit was once known as the ‘King of Fruits’ with a ‘flavour which surpasses all the known fruits in the world.’ The challenge of growing them successfully in our Northern climate was one that gripped the big houses of Georgian England. A ripe pineapple was a centre piece for the dinner table and a status symbol for the wealthy.
In 1763, the Archbishop of York, Robert Drummond, received four ripe pineapples from Sir Mark Sykes, owner of Sledmere House, near Driffield, as a gift for his sisters.1 Was this a generous gift or a boastful act? We shall never know, but within four years the Archbishop started building his own walled kitchen garden in Bishopthorpe (just north of St Andrew’s Church), with a hot house (or ‘pinery’) dedicated to the cultivation of the fruit. We haven’t found any records to show whether he was successful, but we do know that in 1839 Archbishop Vernon Harcourt’s Head Gardener, John Legg, won a prize at the Yorkshire Horticultural Fete for the ‘Best Pine in a Pot.’
Pineapple plants need constant warmth and humidity. ‘Bottom heat’ was required and (before the use of hot water supplied by a boiler) ingenious methods were employed to achieve this. Initially manure was used to make a ‘hot bed’ but this tended to overheat and steam. A better fermenting material was tanners’ bark, a by-product of the leather industry. A raised bed was made in the hot house and filled with bark, and the potted pineapple plants were ‘plunged’ into the bark. Constant attention was required to maintain the warmth of the bark (topping it up and turning it when needed), as well as watering the plants, maintaining ventilation, checking for pests and keeping the stove alight. The plants took 2 years to reach fruition and mistakes could lead to the loss of the whole crop. It is estimated that it cost at least £1000 in today’s money to grow one pineapple,2 so it was a delicacy enjoyed only by the very wealthy.
Pineapple growing came to an end in England with the First World War. The Archbishop of York’s walled garden has survived and is now used by Brunswick Organic Nursery. Although the glasshouses have long gone, many original features remain. Bishopthorpe Local History Group believes that the walled garden is historically very important and we have applied to Historic England for it to be assessed for Listed status. If successful, this would rank it alongside other Georgian walled gardens from a similar era, including those at Harewood House, Sledmere House and Beningbrough Hall.
More information about Bishopthorpe Walled Garden can be seen in the article below and in the book Bishopthorpe in Blossom: Our Orchard Heritage (available from Bishopthorpe Library, Brunswick Organic Nursery and Bishopthorpe Community Archive).
Morwenna Christian
References:
1. Drummond papers, BP C&P VIII/188, Borthwick Institute, University of York.
2. The Lost Gardens of Heligan website